The Camie Chronicles
by ElphieThroppDG28
Summary: A companion collection to Fearless. This deals more with Jamie and Cathy's lives after the plot of The Syndicate, with little in-betweens thrown in that didn't make it into the first story. A collaboration with my friend from Tumblr. ALL RIGHTS TO THE BBC AND KAY MELLOR.
1. Author's Note

The Camie* Chronicles

or

The Continuation of my Syndicate fanfiction because I apparently didn't run out of ideas and one of my Tumblr buddies and I are making all these oneshots and headcanons about life after the storyline on the show so I just figured I'd post this

Hi. I'm back.

So yeah. I thought I'd written all that I could about Jamie and Cathy, but apparently, that's not the case. I actually keep getting more ideas for the two of them, which is great. And my friend Gina is writing fanceptions (fanfiction of fanfiction), as well, and she's given me permission to post the ones she writes.

The title sucks, but I don't really care.

*Camie = Cathy/Jamie


	2. The Way We Were

_Context: the day of the robbery; an expansion of Jamie's internal struggle._

_Also an excuse to use my DVD. :p_

* * *

The Way We Were

They were going through with it.

He couldn't see any other way to go about this. It would certainly put an end to Stuart's never-ending string of sob stories, and it also meant not hearing Amy's shrill voice over the phone. And, most importantly, he wouldn't have to worry about becoming a human torch.

No one knew why he'd really suggested this; no one _could _know. It was too dangerous; he was already risking enough as it was to get the boss this last bit of money. It was too much effort, and he promised himself that he'd never do this again. Cocaine wasn't worth any of this.

But now that he'd dug himself into the hole, he'd have to dig himself out. No matter what it took, he'd get out.

He walked by the bathroom; Bob was sick in there again, he reckoned. Stuart ought to know and get his ass back from his break.

Sure enough, he was outside, hunched over something. Whatever it was, it couldn't be that important.

"Bob's puking in the toilet aga-"

He was drinking. That bastard was _drinking_.

"What are you drinking for?! Gotta keep a clear head, you tosser!"

"I don't want to do this," Stuart answered weakly.

_Yeah, well, I don't, either, but…_

"It's too late."

* * *

Bob was going home early tonight, and he'd leave before everyone else. He'd be taking Cathy with him.

At least he had that in his favor.

Of course, he hadn't been anticipating seeing her on the sidewalk.

"Thought you were going home."

"Can't walk if my shoe's untied." She hastily redid the knot and stood up. "So where are you off to?"

Consistency. That's what he'd learned when lying. Consistency.

"Home. Some of my mates and I are going to The Black Swan. I've got a promise."

Hurt flashed across her eyes, but was quickly replaced by indifference. "Well, have fun. Suppose we should call off next Friday, then?"

_No. I waited too long to do something to give you up now._

"Relax. My mates set me up, alright? It's a pity date."

She nodded. "Whatever you say."

"Cathy…"

"No, it's fine." She smiled. "I'm not worried in the least."

"Don't be." He bent down to her level. "She's nowhere near as pretty or interesting as you."

He kissed her. It was quick, because Bob's car rounded the corner just then. But he wouldn't soon forget the way her eyes shined as she waved to him and got in the car.

And he knew it would take a while before the tingling in his spine subsided.

* * *

He saw her.

He saw her eyes.

There was no mistaking them as he ran by the car.

They were wide at the sight of him, and just that look alone was almost enough for him to drop the bag and run back in, to call the police. To turn himself in.

No. He wouldn't.

"It's too late."

He couldn't know that she knew it was him.

Couldn't know she'd recognized those eyes.

Couldn't know she'd talk herself out of the truth.

Couldn't know she'd hate him for what he'd done.

* * *

He'd needed it.

That's what he'd told himself at the time.

And besides, it calmed him down…

Calmed…him…

Stuart was suddenly there. Yelling at him.

"You bastard! I hate you! His wife's in pieces and you're snorting Charlie, you dick!"

"I just had a little bit, I just needed…I just needed something."

Get his mind off of what he'd done.

How horrible he was…

"He could die, Jamie. And then we'll be done for murder!"

"No, we won't! We're not gonna get done for anything. They're not gonna find out as long as you keep your gob shut. There was over seven grand in that safe."

"Do you know what you've done?!"

That question was already ringing in his head.

He already had an answer.

Yes.

He knew exactly what he'd done.

* * *

Seeing Bob in the hospital put things in perspective.

He'd done all this for a pack of white powder that made him feel woozy.

What was wrong with him?

He left as soon as he could, taking out his phone.

He had to tell her.

She had to know the truth.

_I need to see you. Meet me on the bench. ~Jamie_

* * *

_I'll be there soon. Is everything alright? ~Cathy_

He hadn't had the heart to answer back. He couldn't lie to her. He'd done too much of that.

Another rock left his hand, skimming the surface of the pond. He watched the ripples until they disappeared; he kicked at the ground, scuffing the toe of his shoe.

"Jamie?"

There she was, getting off of her bike. Her face was red and slightly puffy; she'd been crying, but she was trying her best to conceal that.

"Got your text." She walked toward him. "If this is about Uncle Bob, he's doing a bit better, but -"

_He's in the hospital because of me._

He couldn't let her say anything else. What he needed right then was to feel her holding him.

He needed to know someone cared. Someone still loved him.

She seemed startled, but said nothing. She drew him into her arms as he began to cry. His sobs sounded strangled in his ears, his eyes painful with the weight of tears.

What had he done?

* * *

They spent the afternoon on the bench. They held hands for a while, her thumb stroking his palm; he eventually found himself laying down, his head in her lap, her fingers smoothing his hair. His mum used to do this when he was younger, up in the night from a bad dream.

This whole thing felt like a terrible nightmare. Here he was, in the arms of the niece of the man he'd nearly killed. He'd robbed the store he owned, making a stupid split-second decision that made everything worse. He'd done it all for an hour or two of fine white powder.

If he could do it over again, he would. He'd never do any of that. He'd face the drug boss with his strongest mates, scrounge up some money somewhere. He'd figure it out…maybe…

It'd be better than feeling so…empty.

But things could change. He had money now. He could do anything he wanted. He was invincible.

And he knew exactly what he wanted to do first.

If there was one thing that came out of this, it was that he was going to listen to Bob. He owed his boss that much.

He felt his heart break in two as he sat up. He heaved a sigh, turning to her, making sure he remembered how it felt to be here with her, in this moment.

He'd never have this again.

"Jamie?"

He gently took her face in his hands, bringing her face nearer so he could press his lips to hers. There went the shiver down his spine, and there went his heart, galloping like mad.

_I'm sorry_, he thought with every brush of their lips. _I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry._

He wanted to hold on. He didn't want to leave her. He sighed into her mouth, breaking away and resting his forehead against hers.

"Thank you, Cathy," he murmured. He softly kissed her forehead, bringing her to his chest one more time.

And with that, Jamie Bradley walked away from Cathy Davies and toward his new life as a millionaire.


	3. 7 Minutes - The Closet Snog

_**A while back, I asked Gina to write something that took place during Denise's mom's birthday party. At this point, I've only written one chapter set during the second episode, and I thought we could have at least one more. The basic criteria was that Amy and her friend (dubbed Bridget) are bored, and decide to have a bit of fun with Jamie and Cathy. At this point, they're not speaking to each other (at least not really).**  
_

_**I personally loved it, and I hope you do, as well. :)**_

_**…**_

_This may be one of my worst oneshots, tbch. It's long, (17 pages) boring, drawn out, and other negative things. And because it's so long there are probably a lot of various errors concerning 1) grammar 2) spelling and 3) continuity._

_So yeah. _

_I guess you could try to enjoy. AND I'M SORRY FOR THE USUAL LONG WAIT_

_I KNOW, I SUCK REALLY BAD, AND I'M VERY SORRY_

_EVEN WITH THE HUGE WAIT I STILL COULDN'T MANAGE TO WRITE A DECENT ONESHOT. LIKE, SERIOUSLY, I SINCERELY APOLOGIZE FOR HOW SUCKY THIS IS._

_SOOORRRYY._

_Anyway, here it is:_

**A Remedy of Tedium**

**(Or, simply, "The Closet Snog")**

* * *

Bored.

_Bored._

Bored, bored, bored.

Amy took a swig from her champagne glass, twirling it between her first finger and thumb. Her arms were folded as she stood near the wall, watching Stuart bounce from conversation to conversation.

_B-O-R-E-D … Huh… Is it really five letters long?_

Her heels clacked against the ground as she walked to a table, refilling her glass. Being new, the shoes were pretty snug, and she found herself separated from conversation most of the time so she wouldn't have to walk around all that much. Fortunately for her, there wasn't much to do regardless, and there wasn't anyone she particularly was interested in talking to.

"Get me one, Ams!"

Except Bridget. But that wasn't the point.

"Okay, are you _unbelievably bored_, or is it just me?" Amy passed the drink to her friend, who accepted the tumbler with a grin, downing it in one long sip. She nodded in response, joining Amy in leaning against the wall.

"Incredibly. Why am I here?"

"So I have someone to talk to when Stuart decides to play butterfly."

Just as she said this, Stuart stepped out of a laughing group of people to place a kiss on her cheek, "Be back in a minute, love, I _swear_ –"

Of course, this being about the fifth time he'd said this. And then he was off, waving to some other irrelevant person. Amy rolled her eyes with a sigh, twirling the glass around. Bridget grinned at him politely before making a face and folding her arms.

"The least he could do is bring you around with him."

"Ugh, I don't want to talk to people."

"Whatever then."

_Sigh_.

* * *

Boooored.

Hm… Backwords, "bored" is "derob."That's pretty interesting.

"Ames?"

_Interesting._

"Amy?"

… Gnitseretni? Not as cool.

"_Amy!_"

"_What?_"

"You're blankin' out."

"What?"

"_You are _blankin' _out!"_

"Oh… Whatever."

Bridget sighed and rolled her eyes just as Amy had, raising her glass to her lips before remembering it was empty. Amy, having nothing else to do, opened up her large purse, sifting through its contents for something to entertain herself. Her fingers brushed against a small packet of papers and she pulled them out. "Have I showed you my vacation stuff?"

"Yeah."

"I – Really?"

"Twice in the past hour, yeah."

"Oh… Well, shit."

"Yeah…"

"Uh… Well here they are."

Bridget rolled her eyes again, grabbing Amy's wrist and dragging her back to the drinks table. Bridget started to pour the two drinks while Amy adjusted her shoes on her aching heels, dropping the brochures in the process. She heard somebody shift to pick them up and, not wanting to bother to do it herself, continued to focus on the heels until they were properly in place.

"Thank you."

"Whoa… You and Stu really goin' here?"

Amy grinned, playfully snapping the brochure from Jamie's hands and sticking out her tongue. "Why yes, we are." She leaned in his direction, flipping open to a page and showing him a picture of a resort. He raised an eyebrow, shoving a hand in his pocket.

"That's nice."

"Isn't it?"

"I guess."

Amy frowned at him, giving off the impression of a child. "You guess?" she scoffed. "Look at this place! It's more than _nice_, it's bloody beautiful!" She awed at a sparkling fountain outside of the tallest hotel Jamie had ever seen. "See, innit _wonderful_?" she pressed.

"Sure." He reached across the table and grabbed himself a glass, not bothering to look at what he was pouring as he observed the crowded room. Amy dropped her hands in defeat as he stepped away, and frowned again, sulking at his disinterest and causing Bridget to nearly spill her drink all over her chin as she put a hand over her grin covered mouth.

"Whattaya expect?" she gasped after hurriedly swallowing her sip and patting her chest. "He's a _guy_. Guys are dumb. You can't trust that they'll keep their focus." She rolled her eyes at Jamie, shaking her head and going to take a new sip. But as she did this, she slowly lowered the glass from her lips and furrowed her brows at him. Amy made the same look, except directed at her friend, which didn't go away when the other blonde started snickering to herself.

"But you can trust that they'll always keep focus on _something_."

Amy raised a brow at her and chuckled, shaking her head. But then she followed Bridget's eyes to Jamie. And then she followed Jamie's eyes.

Cathy laughed heartily alongside Denise, placing a hand on her chest to calm herself. The strap of her top was a bit loose and slipped down her thin shoulder, and she adjusted it slowly, still invested in the conversation. Amy stuck her tongue to the inside of her cheek, shifting her eyes to Jamie. As she expected, he had quite an amusing response, straightening his back and swallowing hard. He stumbled about in his place for a while before remembering that he had a drink and downing it all in a long sip, coughing closely after.

"_This could be kinda fun_." Bridget whispered, raising her brows at her friend.

Amy folded her arms. "Huh. I guess it could. Well, Bridge." She chuckled, placing her glass on the table, which her friend mimicked. "Let's go have some fun."

* * *

Discretion? What discretion?

Jamie smirked a little to himself, covering his lips with the rim of his glass. Though, it wasn't his usual smirk, it more resembled a little boy who had just poured lemonade on the new skirt of his crazy aunt. Which, mind you, hadn't crossed his face since its first appearance back when he was six years old.

But, frankly, it was a bit hard for him to keep it all in watching such a scene as this. He felt a bit vulgar, maybe because it was Cathy and she wasn't even doing anything even slightly inappropriate. She was just enjoying herself. And maybe he was enjoying _himself_ a bit too much.

It was kind of hard to stop now. Once he convinced himself that he was so bored he'd be willing to pay just to stare at a wall for half an hour rather than have to socialize with people he didn't know, it was pretty easy to get distracted. And distracted he got. Damn those jeans. They're tight. Too damn tight. She has long legs. Like, long, slender, just-the-perfect-size-for-him legs.

But it made him wonder all the same. A little bit about things he couldn't say out loud, but mostly about what these thoughts could mean for him in the future. But the future was scary – he wasn't much of a fan of the thinking ahead – and he just went back to "watching the show."

And yet it still wasn't like that. Why? How is it that he could stare at any other woman, _completely _discrete, and not think of anything else than sleeping with her, but when it came to _one_ woman he couldn't help but think of her smile and her laugh and her eyes and her hair and the way her clothes brought out all of those things? How is it that –?

Damn that strap.

_Jesus Christ._

* * *

Okay, so she had taken a shameless glance at his rear when he went to pick up the brochures, alright? That didn't make her a bad person, not at all! It was just hard to help herself sometimes. He was…pleasing to the eyes. That's what he was. He was a looker, and she was simply acknowledging that.

He has nice hair. And nice shoulders. And nice legs.

He was talking to…somebody, she had no idea who. She detached herself from her conversation a little bit, not trying to listen in to his or anything, but just so she could follow his lips. His nice lips. He has a nice smile.

And a nice laugh. And nice eyes.

He's…Jamie's nice. Well, not, _nice_, but… nice. Or… maybe he _is_ "_nice". _Is he? Did she think he was nice? Did he think _she_ was nice? He _could_ be nice, if he wanted to. Even if she wanted him to be, too. Jamie's… Jamie's good. He's good, that's what he is. Nothing less. But maybe more…?

Oh, enough of that, she was starting to get a headache. She was here to socialize and eat and drink and laugh and have a grand old time, right?

But that didn't mean she couldn't appreciate the amount of unbuttoned buttons on his shirt. Or the way he subconsciously pushed up his sleeves when they loosened. Or the way his pants fit him.

There's nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all.

* * *

Amy strode to where Jamie was standing, hand in his pocket and head turned slightly away from the conversation he was in with some random, loud lads who seemed to be from out of town (she didn't even have to check to see where he was looking).

"Mind if I cut in, thanks." She took the collar of his shirt in her hands pulling him along with her, heels clicking aggressively with every enthusiastic step she took. Just as he was about to protest, she started speaking, Bridget coming to a stop behind her with two fruity drinks.

"Hey, what's –"

"You need to talk to Cathy. Like, _now_. _Now_, now." She pointed at the floor for emphasis. "So go."

And with that she shoved him forward, making him stumble in surprise and nearly fall into the middle of a large, clustered group of people, who all turned in his direction. A few other people stared at him as he straightened, adjusting his shirt and laughing nervously.

"Th-That damn gravity, am I right? Heh."

He side-shuffled once, now back in front of Amy, folding his arms irately and glaring at her. "_What was that about?" _he whispered, a blush of sheer embarrassment creeping on his cheeks. He pinched the bridge of his nose and grinned awkwardly with a nod of his head at the loud men from earlier who continue to stare at him before laughing obnoxiously.

Bridget scoffed. "'That damn gravity'? That's your go-to?"

"Oh shut it, Ken, I'm talking to Barbie."

Amy took her drink from her friend's hands before she crushed it in her palm. "_That,_" she started, taking a sip from the pink drink, "was just so I could have a laugh."

Jamie glared even harder at her, shifting on his feet and flicking his eyes towards something across the room twice, before finally settling back on her. "Yeah, but…" He looked down at his shoes, then over his shoulder, than back across the room. He leaned in closer. "But what was that about…a_bout Cathy_?"

"Oh, about Cathy?"

"_Shh_!"

"I just thought you might want to talk to her, is all."

"Why? Did she… did she say something about me?"

"Well, I haven't ta –"

"Did she say _she_ wanted to talk to _me_?"

"I haven't –"

"Did –"

"Oh my fuc –" Amy rubbed her temple, clearly annoyed. "Interrupt me one more time and I'll end yo –"

"But, just listen, did she –"

"HEY CATHY!"

Jamie pivoted immediately, half-running to a chair that had been pushed to the corner (to accommodate for more room) that was hidden by the food table. He covered his face with a bowl of crisps, peering over the rim to check if the coast was clear. Once again, he was met with a few sniggers from passing guests and that same group of men who seemed to be enjoying his fidgeting. Jamie scowled at them and they turned around, clustering in a different corner.

Amy seemed positively delighted as she sauntered over to him, scooting him over and off the chair until he nearly fell and had to stand up. "Well, that was proper comedy right there."

"Shut up."

"Great comeback."

"It wasn't a comeback, it was a command."

Amy chuckled, finishing off her drink and dangling it in between two of her fingers. "Look, Jamie, here's the deal – I can see you eye-sexing the poor girl from across the room. In fact, it's so obvious that even if I didn't _want _to acknowledge it I would still have to because it's just _that damn obvious_." She saw him jump to protest, but she beat him to it. "_And_ I know you might _think_ you're being subtle, but the only person who hasn't noticed you is Cathy, and I'm sure that's because she hasn't looked at you all night."

Jamie looked in Cathy's direction, suddenly feeling insecure and even a little bit guilty. He played with his fingers a bit, looking away. "So… Sh-she hasn't?"

"Not that I've seen."

Jamie nodded, scratching behind his ear and clearing his throat. "Oh. Cool, cool." He stared at the ground for a second before remembering Amy. "Alright, whatever, I'll just stop."

"Well, I…don't really want you too," she said, standing. "I think you should talk to her. You know…tell her your feelings and shit."

Jamie blinked at her three times, staring in blank disbelief. "What?"

Amy rolled her eyes, folding her arms tightly across her chest. "Oh, c'mon, do I have to say it again?"

"You think I should talk to Cathy?"

"Yes! Yes, that's exactly what I think! NOW GO DO IT."

"But why?"

"Well… because it will be entertaining," she admitted. "Besides, Bradley, when have you ever been one to back down from the chance to seduce a fine young lady?" Amy raised her eyebrows at him teasingly and Jamie's face grew red again as he scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. He looked over at Cathy once again and felt a strange feeling in his chest and a stirring in his head. He was getting dizzy and kind of jumpy, and he wasn't at all sure of how to get it to stop.

"No," he said simply. "No, I-I can't. Not now, maybe not for a while, I…I just need to sit down."

Amy groaned as Jamie grabbed a large cup, filling it to the brim with ice water and gulping it down in a matter of seconds. He chewed on a cube for a minute, sighing to himself.

"Besides, you can't make me," he mumbled.

He folded his arms and didn't look up to watch Amy stomp away in a flourish of fabrics and blonde, but he did catch the parting words of Bridget, who leaned down from behind him and whispered into his ear.

"You know, Ames maybe didn't see anything, but _I_ saw that Cathy girl lookin' you up and down _quite_ often." She pat both his shoulders, gliding after her friend with a confident swing to her hips.

Jamie swallowed hard at the comment, watching Bridget's sharp heels click away. He sat back in his chair, holding the cup of ice to his burning face.

* * *

Cathy felt a small tap on her shoulder and turned her cheek in the direction of the person behind her, still trying to stay within the small group she accompanied. "Hmm?"

"Hey, Cathy!" Amy giggled. She was using her "we're-not-actually-friends-but-I-still-know-your-name" voice and a very large and toothy smile.

Cathy turned to her completely, puzzled. "Uh… Hi Amy."

Amy's smile turned to a smirk as she linked arms with the shorter girl. "How about we have a little chat? Girl-to-girl."

Bridget chuckled. "We've got somethin' to tell ya."

They explained the entirety of their conversation with Jamie to her, making sure to use lively vocabulary and plenty of over-the-top gestures. Though about half-way through, Cathy had started to break off, nodding occasionally to satisfy them but making sure to take an appropriate amount of glances in Jamie's direction. Despite all that they were saying, she was still a little doubtful, biting her lip and furrowing her brows nervously.

Not only was what they were saying completely exaggerated, but the things they said he had done, and just at the mention of her _name_…there was no way _Jamie Bradley_ was nervous about talking to her. She had to be reasonable; would Jamie really _hide behind a bowl of crisps _out of fear of her seeing him?

She just had a hard time convincing herself that what they said about Jamie was true. It was pretty easy to picture Jamie ogling over some random busty woman trying to reach the top rack at the grocery store, but _her_? Amy and Bridget kept insisting on it, but the more they spoke, the more nervous and dubious she got.

"I'm tellin' ya, _go talk to him_!" Amy hounded, nudging her in Jamie's direction.

She stayed stuck in her spot, stubbornly refusing to budge. She just shook her head and backed up further and further until Amy groaned in annoyance.

"Fine!" she snapped. "But you're missing out on your chance." She stalked away the same way she had with Jamie, huffing and stomping. She grabbed a soda tin from table, not even bothering to take a moment to taste it and just taking a long sip in frustration.

"You are going to gain so much weight tonight."

"Bridge, what do I do?" Amy gasped, a little out of breath from the sip and supporting herself against the table.

Bridget sighed, sitting on the fold-up plastic table and ignoring the looks from the other guests. "I didn't expect you to get _this_ wound up over it."

"I'm just so _bored_. And how fun would it be to watch the two of them squirm?" Amy sighed heavily again, giving up and sitting down on the table next to her friend. She suddenly found Stuart, walking over to the coat closet and pulling out a long, red one. He handed it to an older woman who thanked him with a kind smile, pulling it over her shoulders.

But as she watched Stuart close the door and walk off again, she still continued staring at it, before abruptly leaping from the table and stepping in front of her friend.

"What's with you?"

"Just help me with one thing, just _one _more thing and then I'll leave you alone to get as smashed as you want," she pleaded, clasping her hands together and awaiting an answer from the other blonde.

Bridget cocked an eyebrow at her, crossing her legs and leaning over so no one else could hear them. "Listening."

* * *

"Amy, let me _go_."

"Nope."

"Seriously! At _least_ tell me what's going on!"

"You'll see."

"Wha – Why are we leaving the living room?"

"Hush."

"Amy, really, what's going on?"

"You're gonna have a little _chat _with a certain blonde in just a mo, that's what."

"Amy… I'm, well, I'm flattered and all, but Stu's my brother, I don't think I can just –"

"My God, you're _thick_ –"

"Oh, I'm just kidding!"

"Then stop kidding and _shut up_."

* * *

"_Stop struggling!_"

"_I'm small, I can just wiggle ou_t!_"_

"_Stop that!_"

"I already told you, I'm _not_ talking to Jamie!"

"You're not going to!"

"Then…where are you taking me?"

"To Jamie."

"But you–!"

"I said you weren't going to _talk_ with Jamie."

"What the hell are you insinuating –?"

"Alright-y!"

"Bridget, _let me go_."

"Of course!"

"_Ow!_"

* * *

Cathy rubbed at her aching arm. Bridget had shoved her in a closet somewhere near the living room where everyone else was chatting and eating and being all merry. Unfortunately for her, Bridget insisted upon a death-grip to keep her from running away, and just as she had broken free and pivoted to look at her, she had pushed her, very unkindly, into the dark and rather large space. Well, large for a closet.

She could tell she had bumped into Jamie, who was slumped against the wall with his arms folded and who had managed to catch her a little before she fell flat. He had pushed the hangers and jackets out to the edges, giving the two of them more head room.

He was rubbing his reddened wrist, eyebrows furrowed in frustration at having been captured so easily. Cathy stood up straight, remembering she was still leaning against him and went to apologize.

"I-I'm sorry, she kind of shoved me –"

"Yeah, no, it's quite alright, quite alright…"

"Oh, erm, okay…"

She trailed off a little, trying to see his face through the blackness. She couldn't even tell how close she was to him anymore. The only indication was the faint outline of his face and the mild heat she felt coming from his chest. She looked around, blowing air out through her mouth and trying not to blush at the awkwardness of the entire situation.

"This is, um…small, heh."

"Yeah, ha."

"And dark."

"It's a bit suspicious, yeah."

"How do you mean?"

"Look at the facts. Have you ever watched a horror movie where the people in the closet survive? Maybe Amy and Bridget are _killers_."

"_Jamie_."

"Maybe this is where they hide _the bodies_."

"Jamie! Don't laugh about that!"

"I'm just saying! You're laughing too!"

"Oh, shut it!"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Well, it _is_ dark."

"I know, it's as dark as their souls."

"_Jamie!_" Cathy giggled through her whispered scold, pinching his upper arm. He mouthed an "Ouch!" and rubbed it, giving her a pout only visible by the dim light of the hanging bulb that she had just realized Jamie had turned on. He grinned lopsidedly at her and she smiled back, giggling again as the bulb swung back idly and now rested on the top of Jamie's head. He chuckled himself, and after a while the two of them grew silent, which of course only made them laugh a little louder.

Neither of them could really stop laughing and smiling, because if they didn't then all they could do was either talk or stare at one another. Of course, for the both of them, there was nothing _wrong_ with that, and they would much enjoy just getting proper looks at one another – it was just the thought that perhaps their constant show of affection maybe made the other uncomfortable. The only fault was that they _both_ felt this way, and therefore could never see the conspicuous signs that, yes, the other _did_ enjoy the relentless attention from them and would prefer much more of it.

Jamie contemplated this as he watched Cathy cover her mouth as she snickered, perhaps for fear of being too loud or by embarrassment of her own laugh – though the latter, he thought, was ridiculous as the sound was one of the loveliest things he's ever heard in his life, tied with the wonder of her talking voice and the sexiness of her scolding tones.

Would she find his attention irritating? Cathy wasn't one to particularly enjoy being noticed too much, and he could tell by how she seemed to usually put other people's issues before her own. It was hard not to want to just grab her wrist and drag her right into the spotlight, but he didn't want to overwhelm her as he always felt he did.

But was he as intimidating to her as he thought he was? Cathy was not like any girl he'd ever met, she wasn't as _enticed _by his rebelliousness and his reckless behavior as any other woman in his life. But did that mean she was delicate? Should he be more cautious with her?

But then again…what if he was completely wrong?

Cathy rested her head on his shoulder to calm herself down, and he remembered that the two of them were still laughing and smiling and that his mouth hurt vaguely. His shoulder tensed, though it was physically unnoticeable, and he saw that he had his hands folded behind his back. He had to tighten their grip on each other so he didn't drum them on the closet door, or scratch his neck uncomfortably or, God forbid, put his hands on her waist. But he did place a hand on her back, his chin almost in her hair, and stared at a point near the heel of her shoes.

Cathy sighed, still chuckling a little, leaning up from Jamie's shoulder and smoothing down his shirt. She ran her hands over the wrinkles at the shoulders, down his arms, and stopped just above his elbows. She was still smiling, but then cleared her throat, hesitantly dropping her hands and folding her arms as she had nothing else to do with them. Jamie put his hands in his pockets after a little while, staring at the small crack of space in between the door of the closet and the frame.

"So…what should we do no–"

Just as he said this, he caught the sound of a door opening and shushed himself. Whomever entered didn't speak, but just crept to the couch and sat. By the two sets of soft squeaking springs, two people were in the room, and it didn't take much to find out who they were. Cathy had a hand over her mouth and her ear pressed to the door, managing to only catch part of a hushed exchange.

"…let them out?"

"…too much fun to."

Jamie folded his own arms, a little annoyed by the childishness, which made his face redden a little. He turned to Cathy, mouthing to her. "Is this what I'm like?"

She stammered for a moment, forming an "Erm…" shape with her mouth, before mouthing back, "No, of course not!" with a small smile and a wave of her hand.

Jamie stuck out his tongue, but smiled back before bringing his attention back to the conversation. He couldn't hear much more of it, but from what he picked up, they didn't seem to be leaving, but rather toddling about as if they were waiting for something.

Jamie licked his lips, raising an eyebrow at a thought. They weren't expecting the two of them to really talk, were they? Had they really expected them to actually…_do_ something? Now Jamie's survival instincts were kicking in, and he knew that there was only one way to please Amy's strange idea of entertainment. If they had put them in here to flirt, then they might as well satisfy.

Jamie smiled. _If they want a show…_

"Cathy?" Jamie whispered this now – not very loud, but loud enough to be picked up – and he could practically see Amy and her friend silencing each other to listen in. She furrowed her brows in confusion, and he smiled at her.

"What?" she mouthed. Though she was still trying not to make much noise, she nearly squeaked when she saw Jamie getting closer to her, and she backed herself into a wall.

He just followed her, smirking, until they were lightly pressed against one another. Cathy glanced up at him nervously, her cheeks pink, but he just smiled at her with a wink. "Are you nervous?"

Cathy was going to reply to his whisper, but jumped a little as he suddenly took her waist, thumb running along the end of her top. Normally in a situation like this she'd be freaked, pushing him off of her and begging Amy to let her out, but for some reason the way Jamie smiled at her made her feel safe, knowing he wouldn't do a thing to her. She still swallowed, face a deep red, glancing down at his lips and nose, both very close to hers.

She looked up at him again, questioningly, and he leaned in towards her ear and whispered, "_Trust me_."

She nodded at him, swallowing again, and he took her hand in his, kissing her fingers. He made sure to make as much noise as possible when doing so, and she caught on pretty quickly, stifling a laugh and having to cover her mouth with her other hand. But it didn't help the extreme heat in her cheeks, and her nervousness and slight embarrassment of any future sounds she might make in response to these minor affections.

Jamie kissed the back of her hand and her wrist, and stopped to pull her off the wall and towards him, placing her hand on his chest, his own still covering it. He still waited for an okay, and she took a minute to watch his eyes. She was going to trust him, yes, there was no need to check his expression. And even though she still did, she just received more evidence for her conclusion and smiled a little, nodding sheepishly.

He grinned at her, not suggestively, but actually very reassuringly, leaning in again to first kiss her cheek. She closed her eyes at the light contact, chuckling a little to herself again at the little smack he made with his lips, and she could feel him smiling as well when he kissed the corner of her lips.

During this short time span, Cathy had been preparing herself for the actual kiss, keeping her eyes closed in anticipation and trying to loosen her jaw so she wouldn't grind her teeth. And yet, despite all this, the moment their lips touched she still wasn't prepared _enough _and her knees almost gave way.

She almost couldn't hear the dramatization of the sounds of the kiss as her head was swimming so much. Jamie kept his hands politely at her waist, encouraging her onward with the gentleness of his lips. She let herself hold his shoulders, bringing him closer to her and allowing the kiss to deepen. She even tried her hand at a light theatrical moan, and felt Jamie smile against her lips only a _little _teasingly, but more appreciative, making her nearly laugh again at their antics. And, feeling more prompted, she made an even loader moan, muffled by his kiss and making him chuckle a little against her lips. And she had to hold on to him tighter after she heard – and _felt_ – his retaliation, the deep sound of his own moan vibrating her lips and causing her to squeak a little involuntarily.

Jamie just smiled again, and moved a hand to her lower back, hovering above the area for a moment as if asking permission. Cathy smiled herself, shyly taking his hand and bringing it to a higher area on the small of her back and placing it there. He rubbed small circles with his index finger, catching a lock of her hair and twirling it. This time it didn't take much to get a sound out of her, and she wrapped one arm around Jamie's neck, tangling the other in his hair.

She trailed her nails lightly over his scalp, brushing the thumb of her other hand on the nape of his neck and close to his hairline, both moves she had heard to work pretty well. And the sound it got out of Jamie wasn't so much a moan as it was a mix of a chuckle and a playful growl.

He smirked as he parted his mouth, running his tongue along her lip. Cathy sighed a little, tensing slightly with another blush. _Method acting._ Jamie repeated the movement again, though the seductive curve of his lips contradicted the much sweeter, almost shy trail of his tongue as he asked again for permission.

It took a few tries on her part, but Cathy gathered the courage to open her lips just a tiny bit, remembering to sigh loud enough to cover her giggle. Jamie lightly trailed his tongue over hers, and she squeaked again, inadvertently pulling him a bit closer. He just separated them with a loud and very odd smacking sound, smiling down at her. He seemed more out of breath than he should be, and he had a bit of an unfamiliar look in his eyes.

Cathy continued to watch Jamie's expression as he tilted his head towards the door a little, listening in. He made a silly face, and Cathy nearly laughed once more, again having to cover her mouth, and laughed into her palms. He flashed a grin at her, winking, and then turned back to the door, Cathy following him. For the most part it was silent, but the split second of clacking against the hardwood floor made Jamie nearly curse aloud.

"They're still out there?" Cathy mouthed to him, and he nodded at her. She looked down at her feet, and he felt her fingers hesitantly releasing his shoulders, hovering over the loosened fabric of the collar of his shirt. Jamie brought his attention back to her, and saw her look back up at him. The way she glanced at him made his stomach jump a little, and he licked his drying lips.

Cathy gave him another look as he rolled his shoulders, flexing his fingers and combing his hair back. He responded with the same lopsided smile he gave most woman, and she blushed a little, trying to give them more space and resulting in pinning herself to the wall like before. Jamie licked his lips again.

_Prepare for the best performance of your life, James, 'cause it's about to get hot in here._ He took a deep breath, chuckling to himself. _Damn, you should've taken theatre._

Cathy bit her lips shyly with her brows furrowing again. But her eyes then widened as Jamie got closer to her, making sure there was little space between them. They both reddened a little at the body heat radiating off one another, but didn't separate. Jamie smirked down at her, and her eyes fluttered a little as she watched his lips.

"_Jamie_…"

"_Now you really gotta trust me."_

Though she didn't really know why he had to hear that she trusted him, Cathy nodded, brushing her nose against his in the process. "_Of course I do_."

Jamie nodded back, closing the space between their lips, pulling her to him by her waist.

Maybe this entire show wouldn't _just_ be to get Amy to let them out. Maybe he didn't _want_ to be let out just yet. Maybe she'd catch something in the way he kissed her and wouldn't want to let go of him either. Jamie thought of this as he gripped her hip with one hand and held her back with the other, now pulling her flush against him. She had to stifle a bit of a giggle. He almost forgot to be gentle with her before she squeaked in mild surprise, and maybe even something else, when he took her bottom lip in between his teeth. She latched onto his shoulders again, sighing loudly against his lips.

For some reason Jamie took this as a bit of challenge, taking in a long breath against her cheek, separating them so he could tilt to a better angle, making Cathy squeak. He couldn't fight the familiar smirk – and he could swear she grinned a little too as if to giggle again – allowing himself to unwind a bit more, almost forgetting that this was Cathy making those noises and reacting like this.

And when he did remember, he seemed to react almost in the opposite way he would have expected himself to react as he suddenly noticed her slightly swollen lips, pink cheeks, and the stray blonde hairs tickling his collar bone. But it didn't really have much of an effect on him until he saw her eyes; staring up at him with a look he couldn't remember a woman ever giving him.

He took in a ragged breath, kissing her cheek, before swooping in low and craning his neck so his lips could make contact with her neck. She gasped instantaneously, tensing her shoulders and sliding her hands down to his chest and upper arm. Not exactly pushing away, nor bringing him closer, but rather just gripping him in place with a sigh.

He felt her hair near his face, meaning she was looking down, and Jamie paused for a small moment before kissing the same spot again, closing his eyes at the next sigh-moan he elicited from her. And once again, a bit harsher than the first two, which made her jump a little and grip him tighter which, to his mild wonder, got an odd sort of sound from him.

But then his eyes widened as he leaned away a little, seeing her tense shoulder and the slowly fading mark his kisses left. It took him a while to actually process what he had been doing, and several tries to get back to a proper standing position. He felt shameful and embarrassed, almost looking horrified as he met her eyes again. They were both panting a little, though Cathy's eyes were even wider and maybe even more surprised than his.

Jamie was slowly snapping back to his senses, stammering over his words and stuck in his place. "I-I-I I am _so_ sorry, I don't know what – I'm so sor–"

Just as he was rambling the door clicked and swung open. Amy watched them with folded arms almost accusingly, though with an amused glint in her eye. She said nothing, but pivoted on her heeled foot in a way that spoke everything she could've said, lazily flipping her hair behind her shoulder, Bridget following in her wake.

Jamie just stammered some more while Cathy smoothed down her shirt and hair, clearing her throat and looking utterly uncomfortable. She stepped out, fingers still in her hair and her face a bright pink. Jamie watched her before realizing that she was starting to leave with hesitant steps, realizing he had been in the same spot with his feet planted on the ground. He shook his head a little before stumbling after her, stopping her before she could leave the doorway.

"Wait, Cathy – I just – I-I wanted to say – I –" he stuttered, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder and she turned, eyes still wide in an unreadable way that he was not sure whether to take positively or not. He felt his own cheeks warming, but ignored it, trying to continue on.

"I'm just, I'm _really _sorry about that. I mean, I shouldn't have done that, I should've just stopped I don't even know why – I'm sorry for making you do all that in the first place I just…I'm _really_ sorry."

He watched her eyes for her reaction, but she just stared at him for a moment before looking down at her shoes and smiling a tiny bit. She chuckled a little, and looking back at him, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger.

"Don't – Don't worry about it," she said, smiling genuinely. He was still a little uncertain, and she glanced down at both of their feet before looking at him again, shaking her head. "Really… It's fine."

Jamie stopped himself from saying anything more and instead stared down at his wringing hands. "So…we agree to just not really…talk about this…then?" He licked his lips a little and she glanced down at his neck and nodded.

"I suppose."

"So do I."

"Yeah."

"But I'm sure that'll be a bit hard for you, loving the experience as you did."

"Will you just sod off!" Cathy laughed.

Jamie grinned lopsidedly and watched her with a newfound feeling in his stomach. "I'm just saying…you're pretty lucky to get a piece'o this."

Cathy grinned, nodding a little. "Yeah, I guess I am," she said quietly.

Jamie smiled back. "And so am I."

Cathy couldn't bother with really thinking too much of his words, saying a small goodbye with a little half-wave, shuffling out of the room.

Jamie put his hands in his pockets, staring at the doorway she left from, before taking in a deep breath. Scratching the back of his head and turning on his heel he slowly made his way out of the room as well, but not before turning to the closet, shutting the door and turning out the light.


	4. A Step Too Far

_Context: Jamie and Amy's encounter in the pool room, and what transpires between then and Stuart's arrival the next day._

* * *

A Step Too Far

It was easy enough. They were just going to swim…but they'd ended up much too close together. Not that she looked like she minded at all…he certainly didn't…

Something was telling him to just do it. Forget about any other commitments…just live in the moment and do it. Who knew when he'd be able to do something this forbidden again?

His instincts took over, and he leaned in.

Her skin felt like fire, most likely from all the alcohol she'd consumed. But it was such a wonderful sensation that he kept going, opening his mouth just a tiny bit. She complied, bringing her hands to his face, pulling him closer…

And suddenly her hands were pushing against him.

What the hell…

"What are you doing?" She looked frightened.

"I'm sorry…" He blinked, confused as to why she was acting like this. "You seemed to like it!" He, after all, hadn't been the one to sneak her tongue into his mouth…

"Well, I didn't, and you shouldn't have done that!"

She was right about that. What the hell had he been thinking? "Alright…"

"I love Stuart! I'm always going to love Stuart -"

"_Alright!_"

"I'm gonna be your sister-in-law."

Right. It was all on him. Again. "I thought you were coming onto me."

She glared at him. "You thought wrong." She flounced away, slamming the door behind her.

Brilliant.

He sighed, sitting heavily on the nearest pool chair, his hands clasped together.

What was wrong with him? What had given him the okay to make a move like that? She was taken…but that was what made her so tempting…not to mention getting back at Stuart for all he'd put him through…

It was stupid on his part. He shouldn't have gone out to look for her. He should have been a good boy and stayed in his room with Debbie.

He'd get grief from her tomorrow, for sure. He'd just up and left her, after all. And he wasn't about to go back to the hotel, not at this hour.

But his mum wouldn't like him being here, he knew. And the further away from Amy he could get, the better. He couldn't stand to see her in the morning, especially once she found out Cathy was living -

_Cathy._

He'd said her name aloud, bringing him to yet another problem he had. He'd just moved in on someone else when he was already dating someone. Someone he was going to dump for someone else.

Three girls in one night. If the situation wasn't so serious, he'd congratulate himself on a job well done.

Could this get any worse?

His phone bleated. Displayed on the screen was a message from the boss: NO ONE SAYS NO TO ME!

"Shit!"

For a second he listened to how his voice angrily echoed off the walls. Why couldn't things turn out in his favor? _For once?_

Amy kept forcing her way back into his racing mind. Maybe he couldn't pry her off of Stuart with physical advances. Maybe he was going about this the wrong way…

The picture.

He quickly flipped through his phone, finding it. There were Stuart and Leanne, leaving her hotel room.

"We'll see how much you love him," he muttered, turning off his phone and pocketing it. As soon as he had the chance, he'd show her how very wrong she was.

* * *

He kept still for another fifteen minutes before wandering into the kitchen to eat something. He put some cream cheese on a slightly stale bagel and tried to figure out where to go from there.

He didn't want to head back to his flat - not yet, at least. He'd have to deal with whatever the boss had done, and he was certain he'd done something. Going back to the hotel meant facing Debbie sooner than planned, as well as explaining why he'd left during the night. Staying here meant dealing with his mum and Amy and -

Cathy.

His heart gave an uncomfortable lurch. He couldn't tell her about what had happened. She'd almost bitten off his head at seeing him with someone else; Lord knows what she'd do if she ever learned about him and Amy.

But more importantly…she didn't deserve what he'd done. It had been careless, and she didn't have to suffer because of that. He'd given her enough grief over the past month.

He took another bite of his bagel, feeling very much alone.

He'd forget about it. He'd erase it from his mind, put it behind him as something done in the heat of the moment. It wasn't like kissing her had been that enjoyable, anyway.

Well…

It had been better than kissing Debbie. Debbie slobbered all over him like she was a lapdog (which, now that he thought about it, was probably true).

Amy had been better than that, obviously. But now that he thought about it, he realized exactly what he'd felt when he'd kissed her.

Nothing.

He'd felt no emotional attachment whatsoever. It had been out of pure lust and instinct that he'd done it. And on top of that, there'd been nothing there. Just the lure of her alcohol-warmed skin. There hadn't been a jolt of electricity shooting down his spine or the pleasant dizziness in his head.

That only happened when he…

…was kissing Cathy.

It was the only time he felt his feet stick to the ground, and his pulse racing, and his stomach turn over and over.

It was the only time he felt _loved_. (At least…by someone not related to him.)

So maybe he'd made a mistake. He couldn't let that hinder his happiness. Wasn't that why he'd decided to go after her in the first place? To be happy?

To make _her _happy?

He sighed, the full force of everything he had to face hitting him for the first time. But as he finished his bagel, he decided he wouldn't let any of that bother him. He'd leave all that for tomorrow…or for later today, seeing as it was very early in the morning.

For now, he'd forget all that and focus on what he wanted.

And what he wanted was up the stairs and down the hallway.

* * *

Hers was the last room among the maze of doors. He could hear Amy being sick in the master bathroom, and hurried down the hall before he had an impulse he'd regret.

He opened the door as quietly as he could.

He still marveled at how nice all the bedrooms were; there were about twenty pillows on the bed alone. She must have been exhausted, because she hadn't bothered to remove any of them. She lay under the covers, the pillows surrounding her head like a barricade.

Jamie knew, if it was anyone else, where this would go. He'd crawl into bed, uninvited, and start kissing and feeling her up. She'd probably be annoyed at first, but give into him, and soon whatever sparse clothing they'd been wearing would be on the floor. By the time the sun was up, he'd either leave without an explanation or get her phone number, followed by another round.

The thing was this: he could do that right now. She'd be too tired to fight back, and he could easily make her quiet. He was stronger than her, and even if she fully woke up, it would be useless on her part…

He felt an uncomfortable shiver run through him at just the thought of doing that. Cathy wasn't like anyone else he'd been with. And he'd respect that. He wouldn't do anything unless she wanted to.

She sighed in her sleep, breaking him out of his thoughts. She rolled onto her back, her hair messily spread out. Smiling, he tiptoed to the edge of the bed, pulling up a nearby chair to sit in.

She looked rather calm when she was asleep, he noted. The line of worry on her forehead was gone, and the only movement besides her chest were her eyelids. He saw her eyes move beneath them once in a while, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly.

If someone was watching him sleep, he'd find that a bit strange. But at the moment, he couldn't bring himself to sleep downstairs on the couch or go swimming again. He wanted to stay here, even if she wasn't awake; it was comforting to be near her, especially since…

"Jamie?" Cathy raised her head, her eyes still heavy from sleep. Blearily, she blinked at him. "Whaaaa…"

"Go back to sleep, Cathy," he whispered. He suddenly realized just how creepy this looked. "I'll leave if you want me to."

"You can stay." She lay back down, snuggling back into the mound of pillows. "You should come sleep with me," she added through a yawn.

He felt his eyes widen a bit. "Erm…Cathy, I don't think…"

"Just shut up and get over here." She made room for him. "You'll get a crick in your neck if you sleep in that…chair…" She yawned again.

He shook his head, berating himself. "Cathy, I'm going to go downstairs, so if you need me…"

"I like the swans. They're so big…"

"What?"

"And they have biiiig wings…"

"Cathy, go to sleep."

"Jamie, come oooooon. Get over here before I have to drag you." She rolled out of bed and fell to the floor with a thump. She tried to get back up, but flopped face-down, moaning in defeat.

Jamie let out a quiet laugh before gently taking her in his arms and lifting her back into bed. "Alright, you win. I'll sleep in here with you, okay?"

"Yaaaaaay." She smiled sleepily as he climbed under the covers. "You look like an angel," she added, running her hand over Stuart's dressing gown.

"Right." He kept his distance, laying practically on the other side of the bed. He wasn't sure if he was completely opposed to her moving to lay against him.

"You make a lovely angel, Jamie," she said, laying her head on his shoulder. "Can you take me to see the swans?"

"Of course, Cathy." Was she always this way when she was half-asleep?

"And we'll fly with them and their biiiiig wings?"

"Yep."

She sighed happily. "I love you, Jamie."

He stiffened. "What?"

He was answered by a soft snore; Cathy had finally fallen back asleep.

Had she really meant what she'd just said? She'd been talking nonsense before, so maybe it wasn't true. But he couldn't help but hold out hope that maybe, just maybe…

She groaned softly and grabbed onto the front of the dressing gown, her knuckles touching his bare chest. He felt himself blush at the contact. It was almost funny how something as simple as that could render him so vulnerable.

He brought his arms around her, holding her closer. He thought back to what Stuart had demanded of him earlier.

_"Do you love her?"_

It was a question that scared him, a question he wasn't sure he could answer. He knew he was _in love _with Cathy. But somehow he knew that being in love with someone and loving someone were two different things.

He'd been in love numerous times. He'd been in love with Amy, and with Debbie, and with Mel. It was easy for him to do that, to fall in love. He didn't even have to try.

But there was something different with Cathy. He couldn't explain quite what it was, but he knew this wasn't like before. There was something else present, something stronger than mere infatuation or lust.

Whatever it was, he knew it was making him nutty. He'd never resolved to not talk to a girl before, only to go back on that promise and date her. Making that promise had been painful in the first place, and acting like he didn't care had been even worse.

He'd never admit it out loud to anyone, but seeing her in tears tonight had broken his heart. Walking out to the lobby to the sight of her on the floor, trying to hold herself together, just because of something he did…his stomach had twisted uncomfortably, and he'd had to bite the inside of his mouth to keep calm.

She sighed, snuggling closer into his side. It was nothing short of a miracle that she'd forgiven him, and he wasn't going to screw it up. He'd make sure to keep her this time around, before he had the chance to lose her.

Feeling his eyelids begin to droop and Cathy still within his embrace, he exhaled and finally gave into sleep.

* * *

Bright light filtered through the curtains, waking him. He tried to fall back asleep when he heard her.

"What the _fuck_?"

He opened his eyes. Cathy was sitting up, a look of pure terror on her face.

"Jamie, what the hell are you doing?"

"Trying to sleep." He gave her a wry smile. "You should let me get back to it."

"Aren't you supposed to be at the hotel? With…Debbie?" She bristled a bit at saying her name.

He shrugged, pushing himself up to sit. "I decided to head out early. I tried out the pool."

Her cheeks turned pink. "So I noticed."

He looked down; the dressing gown had come undone during the night, leaving his bare chest and boxers exposed. He laughed. "Sorry about that."

She pursed her lips together. "You didn't…I mean, we…I didn't agree to…" Her cheeks steadily got darker as she spoke. "We didn't do anything, did we?"

"No. But you talk when you're haf-asleep."

She winced. "Oh, my God. I do that all the time when someone wakes me up in the middle of the night." She blew air out of her mouth. "What did I say this time?"

"You wanted me to sleep in the bed with you."

She narrowed her eyes.

"I'm serious! You did! You wanted me to take you to see the swans, and you said I looked like an angel." He laughed again, retying the knot on the dressing gown. "You wanted to fly with the swans and their big wings. And you actually tried to get me into bed and ended up falling out."

She covered her face with her hands. "Oh, gosh. I remember that a little. I must have looked like such a dork." She frowned. "I don't remember getting back into bed, though. I remember being on the floor, but…"

Jamie smirked at her, standing up and walking over to her side. "I had to lift you back in. Like this." He took her into his arms, ignoring her protests to "Put me down, Jamie!"

"What? You don't like being held this way? I'm just telling you what happened."

She punched him lightly in the chest. "Please put me down. I really don't appreciate this."

"So you want me to put you down right now?"

"Yes."

"Right now?"

"YES!"

"Alright." He let his grip loosen, and she felt a split-second sensation of falling to the ground. She yelped as he caught her, his smirk wider.

"Jamie, you're an ass!"

"I know."

"Could you _please_ put me down? Exactly how you did last night, bed and all?"

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever the lady commands," he answered.

Jamie gently laid her on the bed, joking manner gone. He brushed a loose strand of blond hair off of her forehead before going back to his side and climbing in.

"Was that better?"

She nodded, unable to look at him. "Did…did I say anything else?"

His breath hitched in his throat. He wasn't sure how she'd take hearing what she'd said. She'd probably think he was kidding, at best. But on the slight chance she believed him…what then? Was he expected to say it in return? Even if he wasn't sure if he felt the same way? Even if he was almost positive that he did, but still needed time to figure it out?

He finally said, "Only that you wanted me to make sweet, passionate love to you all night long."

"That's not even funny."

"Hey, you're the one who said it." He arched an eyebrow. "You still want to take me up on that?"

"Shut up!" She shoved him in the shoulder, biting back her laughter.

"Okay, fine. Maybe you didn't say that." He moved closer. "But you did sleep right next to me."

"I know. I woke up with an arm draped over your chest." She reached out to touch his jaw, lightly skimming her fingers over the stubble.

"You're…you're still alright with us being together?" He didn't know why he had to ask this, but some part of him needed her confirmation.

She gave him a radiant smile. "Of course I am. I wouldn't invite just anyone to sleep with me."

He moved forward to kiss her softly, smiling into her lips the whole time.


	5. The Boss

_Context: A few days before Cathy leaves. The result of brainstorming on Skype._

* * *

The Boss

Jamie had hoped no one he knew would ever have to face the drug boss. He was starting to think he wouldn't have to worry about it anymore when the car rolled up outside the club one day.

Jamie set his jaw, preparing himself for a black eye or worse. "The hell do you want?" he asked as the boss stepped out.

"Just wanted to remind you I'm not a patient man." He was flanked by two other men in suits. "I don't like to be kept waiting."

Jamie straightened. "You'd better get. I'll call the cops."

The boss laughed. "The police wouldn't hesitate to find an excuse to put you back behind bars, Jamie. It's best if you start answering your phone. Isn't that what your mum taught you? Be polite to your elders?"

Jamie gritted his teeth. "Not interested. I gave you your money. We're done."

"We're far from done, Jamie." The boss strode forward, grabbing Jamie by the suit collar. "You've got quite a bit of money that I could use. And there's no way you're getting out of it this time."

He had him. Jamie knew he did. He couldn't call the police; they were already on his tail about the robbery and they'd definitely ask why the boss was bothering him. And he couldn't very well call for anyone, not without someone asking questions.

_Go easy on me. Just make it quick._

"Jamie?"

_No. _

Cathy wheeled her bike forward, her eyebrows knitted together in concern. What was she doing here? She shouldn't -

He'd asked her to come over. He'd taken off early today.

Shit.

"Jamie, what...what's going on?"

"Cathy, go home." His eyes flashed; maybe he could tip her off without startling her.

"Jamie..."

"Cathy, it's fine. Just go home."

The boss looked at Cathy as if he hadn't noticed her before. "Don't worry, sweetheart." He gave her a sickening smile. "I won't hurt him, just for you."

Cathy blinked, her face turning white. "What are..."

"Best run on home. No use waiting around for him, girlie."

Jamie spat in the boss's face. "Don't you DARE speak to her that way."

The boss's jaw twitched, but he made no move to relinquish his hold. "I suggest you tell your little friend to scram. We wouldn't want her getting into an accident, would we?"

Jamie's eyes frantically shifted from the boss to Cathy. "Cathy, go. I can handle this."

"What do you want with him?" Cathy moved closer, dropping her bike on the front steps of the club.

"None of your business." The boss glared at her. "You'd be smart to leave. Unless you're..." His eyes lit up in recognition. "Jamie, how many of these do you go through? Five a week?"

Jamie felt his temper boil. Why wasn't she leaving?

"What do you want?" she asked again, her voice shaking.

"Oh, my dear, hasn't he told you? He's a druggie."

He felt her tense behind him. He didn't need to see her; he knew how she felt about this, now that she realized why these men were here.

"He...he's clean..." she said weakly.

"That may be true, but I need a favor from him." His grip tigthened. "He owes me."

_Cathy, please leave. Don't get yourself into trouble._

"You know, Jamie, you've got plenty of women in your club." The boss looked over his shoulder to the men in suits, then at Cathy. "You wouldn't mind if we take this one, would you?"

Everything happened at once. Jamie's knee moved upward, and he spun around, ignoring the dull ache.

One of the men was following him. "You want a sock in the face?"

The man lunged for him, and Cathy suddenly hit him square in the jaw. Jamie pulled her back, pushing her behind him.

The boss was doubled over, the other man helping him up. "We...we aren't...finished...Jamie..." He gasped, gettiing back into the car. "I'll...I'll come back..."

"Better bring more men next time," he growled.

The boss gave them both a cold glare before the door shut. The man with the wounded jaw climbed into the driver's seat and gunned the engine. The car tore out of sight.

* * *

Jamie didn't let go of Cathy until he'd hustled her up the stairs and into his flat. He secured every lock on the door, and only then did he allow himself to feel a shred of calm.

"Jamie, what on earth -"

He drew her into his arms, holding her tight. He'd come so close to losing her. She could have been...

They could have...

And he...

"Jamie..." She broke away from his hold, guiding him to the couch.

As soon as they were seated, he dove right back in, crushing her to his chest, needing to feel her against his heart, needing to know she was there.

"I'm so sorry, Cathy...I didn't think they'd..."

"Are you still buying from them?"

"No, I'm not. They just want to cause trouble, now that I have money."

"Can I...can I trust you?"

He pulled away slightly, seeing that she was genuinely frightened. "Yes, Cathy. You can trust me."

She looked up at him, not saying anything. She finally nodded, her thumb brushing against his cheek. He hadn't even noticed he'd been crying.

"Jamie, you have to promise me you won't..." She trailed off, wiping more of his tears away.

He gently grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her, more tears streaming down his face. Breaking away, he held her to him, running his hands through her hair.

He couldn't promise anything. The boss would be back. No matter how many times he said no, he'd be back.

But he'd make sure Cathy wouldn't be here when it happened again. He wasn't going to put her in danger.

Even if it meant he'd have to face his fears alone.


	6. Coming Home

_Context: Jamie has just gotten out of prison, and Cathy is visiting him for the first time since then._

* * *

Coming Home

It was getting harder to see out the window as the rain fell harder against the glass. It was incredibly ironic that today, of all days, was overcast. Maybe this was some sort of symbolism, God's way of saying that things weren't going to end well. But wait, water was a sign of baptism, wasn't it? So technically, it was cleansing, making things new. And that was good…wasn't it?

Her head rested against the glass, watching the little rain droplets roll toward the ground. The clock behind her was rather loud at the moment: _tick, tock, tick, tock…_

She tried to ignore it, but each incessant beat brought a new worry.

_Tick…_

What if he wasn't even there?

_Tock…_

What if he'd gotten rearrested?

_Tick…_

What if the drug boss had gotten out and killed him?

_Tock…_

What if he didn't want to see her?

"Cathy?"

She looked up. Her older sister, Emma was standing by the door, her fame grim. "We'd better head out. Traffic's gonna be a nightmare."

Cathy rose, straightening her blouse absently. Her hands wouldn't hold still long enough for her to actually smooth the wrinkles.

Emma caught one of her hands, smiling. "It'll be fine, Cathy. Don't be nervous. Think of it as another visit."

She took a deep breath. "It's a bit different, now that there won't be so many rules."

"Isn't that good?"

She shrugged. "Well, considering we've seen each other for months in the same setting, maybe he'll change his mind. Maybe _I'll _change my mind."

Emma gave her hand a squeeze. "Whatever happens is for the best."

She nodded, studying the hardwood floor.

"But if you want my opinion," Emma whispered, "it's going to take all my energy to pry you two apart and get you back home."

Cathy was met with Emma's wry smile, and her spirits lifted the tiniest bit. She tried to focus on that brief moment of hope, but it would prove to be difficult. Not even five minutes later, Emma's car was stuck behind a long line that showed no sign of clearing up soon.

It was an agonizing half-hour. She twisted her hair through her fingers, yanking out several red-blond strands. She'd make herself bald if this kept up. She forced her hands away from her hair, wringing them so hard she winced.

"Cathy, calm down," Emma said, taking her eyes off the road for a moment. "I'll be there with you, okay? Everything's going to be fine."

It was easy for her to say. Emma wasn't the one who'd visited him in a dingy waiting room, saw him at his very worst, had to keep from crying sometimes at the helplessness on his face. Emma wasn't the one whose heart could potentially shatter.

They were suddenly turning down the familiar street. Cathy tensed, that unwelcome warmth rushing to her face.

"Breathe, Cathy…it'll be fine."

Emma parked the car in the driveway, reaching behind her for her umbrella. Cathy was waiting for her to open it when she looked out her window.

Stuart and his mum were in the doorway, looking at her. He was calling something over his shoulder, and less than a second later, someone pushed past the two, his gaze locking with her own.

Jamie.

She stepped out into the rain, not caring if she was getting soaked. He was there, looking a lot better than when she'd seen him a week ago. They stood in the rain, simply staring at each other, neither of them moving.

Things were definitely different. She no longer had to drive to the prison, no longer had to be searched, no longer had to wait on an uncomfortable chair to see him. They didn't have to cram a week's worth of speaking into two hours, or talk in hushed voices if someone else sat down nearby, or pretend things were perfectly alright.

No more limits.

But he still had time to turn away.

Why was he standing there? Why hadn't he moved yet? Cathy felt her heart sinking, and she almost turned around to get back in the car.

And suddenly, she felt his arms around her.

It had been such a very long time since they'd done this, she thought, hugging him around the waist. She'd missed it.

"I didn't think you'd come," he said, holding her closer.

"I didn't think you'd want to see me," she replied.

He laughed, something else he hadn't done in a while. "Why wouldn't I want to see you?"

"Changed your mind?" she offered weakly.

Jamie kissed the top of her head. "I don't think I could, at this point." He was silent for a moment. "And you…you still want this?"

She looked up at him, paying no attention to the raindrops falling in her eyes. "I've waited an entire year for you, Jamie Bradley."

"So…is that a yes?"

She answered him with a roll of her eyes before taking his face in her hands and kissing him, smiling when she felt him return it. They broke away, breathless, unaware that they were chilled to the bone from the rain. He arched an eyebrow and gave her a cheeky grin, and after that the only thing she was aware of were his lips on hers.

It was nice to know that some things hadn't changed.


	7. The First Date

_Context: Jamie and Cathy going out after he's released from prison._

_(Written by Gina)_

* * *

****The First Date

**_Jamie had been released from prison a few weeks ago._**

And for the first time in a while, he was genuinely nervous. Hands twitching, shifting from foot-to-foot nervous. And he knew exactly why.

Once he was released, the first thing he had wanted to do was take Cathy out, buy her things, bring her to dinner, and just spoil her like mad. He felt it was what she deserved after all he'd caused her, especially in this past year during his time in jail.

While sitting alone or waiting for a visit from her, it had all seemed so easy. The second he saw her, he'd wrap her in his arms, kiss her dizzy, and treat her to the best date she'd ever had. Unfortunately, when the time actually came, and when they had actually gotten passed the first two steps, the third seemed somewhat impossible at the time.

Jamie had had time to think while in jail. He had the time to think about how he wanted to go about his relationship with Cathy, how things would run. He hadn't expected the overwhelming freedom he felt after being released.

What if, now that he was out, he went back to the way he always was? What if he rushed into things, moved too fast?

What if he ruined everything?

These questions were the exact reason he had waited this long before bringing Cathy out on a real date. Their first since his arrest. Sure, they had hung out often, but it was mainly just comfortable silence. They had had plenty of time to talk in the past year. But not nearly enough to be _close_ to each other_._

He was currently standing by the door, rocking on his heels, and looking around awkwardly. Cathy had let him in before rushing upstairs to change. He wasn't quite sure what to do during this short time, and was just glad there was no one around to stare at him like there had been when he walked here.

When Cathy did emerge, however, he felt the familiar feeling of his heart skipping a beat and the breath being taken away from him. And it had only taken her about 5 minutes to get ready - hell, even _he_ had taken longer, and even then he _still_ had to check his hair in car windows and make sure his shirt was straight. She wasn't even wearing anything all that fancy, nor revealing. But she was still absolutely stunning.

How a person could be so effortlessly beautiful, he'd never know.

The sound of someone clearing their throat brought him out of his thoughts, and he blinked twice. "Uh… Y-Yes?"

Cathy giggled. "I said, are you ready to go?"

Jamie scratched the back of his head sheepishly, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, let's, uh…let's go, then."

He mentally scolded himself for looking so stupid. _Why can't you just smile and compliment her like a normal boyfriend?_

"Uh, you look really nice," he said after closing the door behind her.

"Why thank you," she said, shooting him a radiant smile. "You're not lookin' too bad yourself."

She punched him playfully in the arm, and they both chuckled. She took hold of his hand, making his heart skip once again.

"So, where's your car?" she said curiously. "You got your license back, right?"

She was right about that. He had recently gotten back his license, and even gotten himself a new car of much lower value than his Porsche. He didn't want any reminders of…

"Uh, you know what? I thought maybe we'd walk today. Thought that'd be…nice."

He gave her a small smile, trying to keep his voice as normal and casual as he could. But he knew immediately after that she noticed something was up with him. Nothing got passed Cathy.

"You alright?" she asked softly, touching his arm lightly. "You seem a bit odd…"

He sighed. He was not going to ruin this date by rambling about his emotional insecurities. She'd think he was lame.

No, she wouldn't. She was Cathy. She was nothing like the other girls he'd been with.

"Jamie?"

"I don't really feel comfortable driving again just yet," he blurted. He caught himself before he could say more, but Cathy had already seen. She rubbed his arm once, giving him a knowing look. It wasn't one of pity. He didn't want pity, didn't need it. He could always count on Cathy to know just what he needed. She never really had questioned his mode of transportation whenever they were together, assuming he had driven himself. He wasn't all that comfortable even _being _in a vehicle, let alone behind the wheel. Luckily, being the understanding person she was, she didn't press any further.

"Well then, we better get walking," she said, grinning and taking his hand again as if the previous conversation never occurred. "Wouldn't want to ruin whatever it is you have planned."

"It's not much…" Jamie said as they started on their stroll down the sidewalk. "Just a little lunch, you know."

"Don't want to go anywhere too crowded?" Cathy asked. It wasn't exactly a question, as much as it was just her way of letting him know that she understood. She _did_ understand; she had witnessed the drama, too. He needed to remember that.

They resumed with their chatting, though most of it was just the two of them walking and enjoying the other's company. Though he preferred when they were talking, since the soothing sound of Cathy's voice distracted him from everyone else around them.

Even though they weren't even on a busy street, Jamie was already feeling uncomfortable. It was as if everyone in town was staring at him – hell, they probably were. He was starting to get annoyed until he heard the little sigh of contentment next to him and saw Cathy smile up as they walked. All of his previous moods vanished again, and he found himself smiling as well.

"This is so nice," she said. "Just being together again."

She suddenly gave a little half-chuckle and looked down.

"You know, I was actually kind of afraid…when you were released." She trailed off and looked straight ahead of her. "It was kinda silly. Thinking you might change your mind about…us. But…"

She trailed off again just as Jamie stopped right in front of a local coffee shop. Cathy looked like she was just about to ask why he had, when he took her into his arms and hugged her tight. She didn't hesitate for long before hugging him back, not caring if people were giving them odd looks or not, just relishing in the warmth of their embrace. It felt wonderful to hug again. It felt right.

"I'd never change my mind." Jamie kissed the top of her head, "I never will."

* * *

**He had relaxed considerably once they sat down.**

It was hard not to when you were with Cathy. Not to mention the atmosphere of the little coffee shop was calming, mixing beautifully with Cathy's voice. It was a cute little shop, simple. Just what they needed to avoid staring. He wasn't just doing that for himself – he knew Cathy probably wouldn't enjoy the attention, either. She wouldn't be dragged into any drama, not anymore. She didn't deserve that.

But…what if the media attention didn't stop anytime soon? What if Cathy got embarrassed to be seen with him, thinking everyone was judging her?

Oh, what was he saying? Cathy would never care what everyone else thought of them. And he loved that. He loved that she was always by his side, even if he didn't know it.

She made most of the conversation, mainly about small things he may have missed, and how her days had been, and occasionally a question or two came up about how he was. Several times she stopped to apologize for "babbling", but he merely shook his head and told her to continue. He liked her voice. He liked the face she made when she tried to remember something. He liked the way she brushed her hair out of her face during an important part of the story like it was getting in the way of the suspense. He smiled the whole time, reacting appropriately, and asking questions when he was interested in the answer. He never normally enjoyed just listening to others talk. He preferred doing the talking. But Cathy made all of her stories interesting. She made talking seems so…cute.

She took a breath and chuckled after a particularly long story. She sipped her tea and took a small nibble of her sandwich before placing her chin in her palm and watching her boyfriend, who was taking the last sips of his own tea. The waitress came over to fill it almost immediately after he put it down. She smiled and asked if they needed anything.

Jamie tried hard to avoid eye contact, just for precaution. "We're okay, thank you."

The waitress, who he noticed had the name Sarah, smiled at him as if he were a normal customer and walked off to another table. He was glad they went here. They didn't ask questions.

Cathy sighed happily, tracing her finger along the pattern of the table, before giving Jamie a guilty look. "I know I keep saying this, but I'm sorry I keep talking." Jamie chuckled at this.

"No really!" she continued, the grin leaking from her voice. "I just feel like you need a chance to talk about something."

"There's not much for me to say," he said, mimicking her movement from earlier and placing his chin in his palm as well so he could look her right in the eye. "Already said most of what I had to say this past year." He grinned at her. "Why don't you just keep on being cute and telling your little stories?"

Cathy giggled, removing her chin from her palm and leaning over the table to kiss him. It was short and sweet, both of them smiling and just enjoying the fact that they could actually _do_ that now.

"How about I tell some knock-knock jokes, maybe a few puns?" she said playfully after they separated. "Those are always fun, right?"

He laughed, enjoying the comfortable, lovely feeling his chest. He ran a hand through his hair, and watched her check her phone. "Thought I heard a text, sorry about that."

For some reason an overwhelming feeling filled his chest, wiping the smile off of his face. Cathy tucked her phone back in her pocket, not noticing as Jamie's mouth opened and closed several times, searching for words, until:

"I love you."

She looked up, staring right into Jamie's eyes.

Sure, they both knew that they obviously loved each other. And it wasn't a phrase they'd never heard before.

What was so surprising, to the both of them, was just the emotion in his voice that was put into those words. There was no little playful laugh, no smirk, just pure emotion. Pure love. He cared so much, and he was hoping he was able to express that. That the unspoken words in the look of his eyes would be enough.

Cathy looked down, her lip curling up at the side, expecting a comment of some sort – something. But nothing came, and she glanced back up at him, locking her eyes in place with his own. She was a bit surprised at how intense his stare was. He wasn't even sure why he wasn't able to stop himself from revealing so much. He couldn't hold back.

After a moment of silence he felt a small, soft touch on his left hand and he glanced down for a second. Cathy intertwined their fingers, and gave her soft reply. "I love you, too, Jamie." She smiled shyly.

Jamie smiled back in response, tracing his thumb along the back of her hand, right as their waitress came over.

"Everything okay over here?"

Everything _was _okay. Everything was _definitely_ okay. He was finally out of jail, he'd never turn to drugs again, and most of all, he had Cathy by his side with an encouraging smile. He felt a wave of relief, as if a weight had been removed from his shoulders.

_Okay._

Yes. It was all_ okay. It was all fine._

Because for once in his life, Jamie Bradley was able to truly say that he was, indeed, _just fine_.

"Everything is perfect," Jamie replied, before removing his gaze from Cathy's sweet smiling face and looking back at their waitress in the eye this time. "We'll take the check, please."


	8. Foreheads

Foreheads

Jamie was actually not very fond of having his forehead against his girlfriend's. It made him uncomfortable to know she was that close to his face. She teased that he was more than fine with snogging, but he argued that it was different; she had her eyes closed and wasn't paying attention.

"What about when we're snuggling? We're close enough, aren't we?"

"Yes, but you're not right in my face then, yeah? I just…I don't know." He shrugged. "I wish I wasn't so against it."

"Why's that?"

"Well…I'd rather like to be able to…you know…" He swallowed, realizing he'd moved across the couch and was somehow right next to her. "I just think it would be nice."

"Would it help if I closed my eyes?"

He nodded, shutting his own. "…Please."

He felt her skin against his, and he bit his lip, feeling himself blush.

"You alright?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah…I think so." He opened one eye, then they other. "Oh…this isn't so bad."

"Do you want me to keep my eyes closed?"

"You can open them, if you'd like."

Her eyes were a very lovely shade of blue from this angle, he decided. She blinked a few times. "You alright?" she asked again.

He smiled. "Of course I am." He leaned forward, catching her lips with his. "Thank you."


	9. Halloween Part I

_Context: The night Jamie realizes just how much Cathy means to him._

_(Written by Gina)_

* * *

Leaves Tend to Change in the Autumn (Halloween) - Part I

Fall, in his opinion, had to be one of – if not _the_ – best of the four seasons. It wasn't freezing cold, it wasn't scorching hot. It was perfect cuddle weather, perfect tea weather, perfect stay inside and watch movies weather. Perfect invite-a-bunch-of-your-friends-over-your-new-beautiful-flat-on-Halloween-to-celebrate-stuff weather.

While Cathy was more concerned with trying to get his flat presentable, what with the minor mess he had created already, he was in a fold-up chair by the island table that came with the flat (although, his chair was so low that he could just barely see over it), looking at catalogs and checking online for nice furniture to make his new soon-to-be-even-more-gorgeous-and-perfect home more comfortable.

Cathy had very generously offered to come over and help him look through the magazines and surf the web in search of the "perfect coffee table". She usually ended up doing most of the design work, as Jamie really spent most of his time hyperactively interrupting her and pointing to some couch with a dome that was way too expensive and had a pattern that didn't at all match that of the vibrating chair that stuck to the wall or the TV that was too large to even fit on the ceiling that he had also picked out. Cathy should have suspect as much, as most of her boyfriend's Google searches today had been things like "crazy awesome yet comfortable beds" or "epic furniture pieces that defy the laws of physics".

But, even then, Cathy had a bit of trouble choosing between paint colors, or throw pillows, or wall designs. And Jamie had some good ideas himself – even if most of his better choices were his more unenthusiastic ones – and they simply couldn't decide on some things. They decided, perhaps, another opinion would be useful in making their decision. Or maybe even two. Or seven.

"Jamie, get your feet off the wall of the table, you're going to leave a smudge."

He made a noise of dissatisfaction and took his eyes off the king-sized waterbed on page 8. "It's not my fault this chair is so low and I have nowhere to put my legs." But he complied and crossed his legs in front of him on the floor, putting the catalog down and stretching his arms. "Besides, it's only 3:45, yeah? They shouldn't be gettin' here 'till 'bout 5:30." He yawned and closed his eyes.

Cathy sighed and went to the living room, which branched right from the kitchen, so she could watch her boyfriend's peaceful form. She sat on the new couch they had gotten together yesterday. It was really one of the few things they actually agreed on buying, other than a few toiletries, the refrigerator and a little coffee table from Stuart's mom's house. (Which reminded her that they still needed polish that and, at the thought, she sighed again, rubbing at her temple.)

The fabric of the couch was soft and comfy and she sank right into a cozy position the second she sat down. She folded her arms and stared at the ceiling. "There's still stuff to be done."

"Cathy–"

"I could be sweeping up–"

"Sweetheart, you don't have to–"

"Oh, maybe I should go water that fern–"

"Cathy, you need to just relax!" Jamie laughed, lifting himself from his chair and heading over to sit next to her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and brought her to his chest. "You watered that fern two minutes ago, okay, you're spoiling it. I don't want it to get snobby."

Cathy sighed and relaxed into Jamie's arms, putting her cheek to his shoulder. He brushed some hair from her face and she sighed. "I don't know what's up with me lately," she admitted. "I feel fidgety, like there's so much work to be done around here – around _everywhere_ – even Emma thinks so. She says it's like I'm turning into one of those old ladies that's always trying to give hard candies to her grandchildren."

"Oh my God, you're becoming my mother."

"Jamie–"

"Have you been experiencing pains in your hip?"

"_Jamie_–"

"The urge to nag?"

"_James_."

"Must we perform an exorcism?"

Cathy giggled at him and kissed him quickly, cutting off his sentence and shushing him. "I think these furniture catalogs are messing with your brain," she joked. "You need to get outside in the fresh air instead of inhaling all this 'new flat smell'."

He stuck his tongue out at her and she laughed again. He watched her with a smile as she brought her head back to his chest before peering up at him. She gave him a little teasing look and poked him playfully in the stomach.

"What is it, Bradley? Never seen a girl laugh before?"

His smile changed to a smirk and she knew what he was going to do before he even moved. He took her face in his hands and kissed her in such a passionate way that she found her mind dizzying and her arms around his neck with her hands finding their way to his hair. But, as always, she had to have some reminder that he was still Jamie Bradley, and that reminder came in the form of a pinch on her bottom which made her jump and let out a squeaking noise. She separated from him and shoved him lightly on the shoulder while he grinned cheekily.

"Cocky little bastard," she murmured, folding her arms.

Jamie laughed and kissed her temple lovingly, but she nudged away from him, hiding her blush and small smile. Noticing he'd gone a little too far, Jamie resulted to pouting and apologizing in an attempt to get another kiss. After a small while of reasoning, they came to the agreement of cuddling. They remained in silence, and he listened as her breathing calmed as she seemed to be dozing off. He closed his eyes for a split second until Cathy spoke suddenly.

"You know what we should watch?" she asked. She sounded so peaceful and serene and Jamie couldn't help but smile at how relaxed he could make her. He felt proud of himself.

"What's that?" he asked back.

"_The Corpse Bride_." She grinned.

His own smile grew and he shrugged his shoulders, checking the clock. "We got time."

"So can we?"

"Yeah, totally."

Cathy beamed triumphantly and grabbed him by the arm. "The TV's in your room, c'mon!" She started dragging him out of the living room and he laughed.

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Let me just make us some tea first, I'll meet you there."

Jamie turned towards the kitchen but stopped in the entrance in time to see her toddle away. He shook his head and chuckled. It was quite a pleasant change having Cathy be the childish one for once. It was nice.

He opened a small cupboard by the refrigerator, which was mostly empty save one box.

"Gee, so many choices."

He looked around the rest of the kitchen and then at the rest of the empty flat. He really needed to get a move on with this furniture and designing thing. He stared back into the cabinet and sighed.

"Decisions, decisions." He removed the box and set it on the island table and began to prepare two warm cups of tea. After all, he _did_ only have one season of the perfect cuddling, tea drinking weather.

* * *

Cathy yawned and sat up, immediately stretching her arms until she hit an unknown stubble-covered obstacle with her left hand. The obstacle just so happened to be her boyfriend's face, who grabbed her wrist with his own left hand.

"Ouch. You could just _tell_ me to leave, no need for violence."

She giggled, kissing Jamie's cheek and running her right hand – her other wrist and hand were still wrapped in Jamie's larger one – through his hair, lightly massaging his scalp. He smiled tiredly and kissed her wrist, causing both of their smiles to widen.

She yawned again and her eye caught the TV screen, muted and playing the selection menu of their movie. She must've dozed off after they'd finished it, though she vaguely remembered instructing Jamie not to allow her to do so, since she wanted to be wide awake when everyone started to pile in for their little party.

She looked up at Jamie, who looked like he was dozing off himself, and realized she still had her hand in his hair and her chin on his shoulder. She dropped her hand to his arm and he opened one eye at her, smiling. She smiled back before turning over so she could face the side table, picking up Jamie's phone to check the time.

5:32.

_Shit!_ They should be here any minute now!

She glanced back at her boyfriend, who was scratching along his jaw. She saw that they were on their sides, snuggled against each other. A thought of mild revenge came to her mind, and she smirked slyly feeling devious, _oh so_ devious.

Cathy must've been making a questionably smug expression, for Jamie raised a curious eyebrow and smiled lopsidedly at her. In response, she bit her lip and leaned in close enough so their lips were almost touching. He responded instantaneously, taking her in his arms and giving her the familiar smirk and pleasant half-lidded eyes she usually saw right before they kissed.

She moved her hand up and down his arm and then to his back and sighed in contentment, closing her eyes. They were so close to one another that their lips brushed as she whispered, "_Jamie?_" She took the collar of his shirt between her fingers and smiled.

She felt his smirk grow against her mouth. "Yeah?"

And not even a second after their lips touched Jamie jumped nearly an inch, separating, and she grinned cheekily at him. "You're a _little shit_."

"_Ouch!"_ Jamie rubbed once at his backside, before seizing his girlfriend's wrist once again. "What was that for?"

She laughed and kissed him swiftly. "For not waking me up," she said simply before kissing him again a little longer. "_And_ for being a little shit. Which you are."

He pouted like an eight year old, releasing Cathy's wrist and folding his arms. "You're mean."

She laughed again, kissing him for a third time, just as the sounds of knocking rang through the flat and into Jamie's bedroom. Cathy got up immediately, dashing straight out the door and into the living room. Jamie followed her, folding his arms, just as Cathy grabbed a mop and got to work on a stain that just refused to come out of the hardwood floor.

"Do you want me to get the–" he began to ask, just as Cathy cut him off.

"Jamie, could you get the door for me real quick?"

"Sure, but I think the floor is clean enough–"

"I think it's Denise and Rodney, I hear the puppy scratching."

"Hun, we can just buy a nice rug–"

"Jamie, the door!"

"Cathy, you're going to take the finish off the tiles–"

The knocking on the door sounded again, and Jamie threw his hand up in forfeit, heading towards the door. Cathy must've given up as well, as she threw the cheap mop back into the closet, sitting herself on the couch. The clattering of the mop caused him to turn. Cathy looked up at him with innocent eyes and he grinned, and her expression changed to mild confusion.

"Well, are you gonna get a move on then, they don't have keys!"

Jamie sighed, smiling and rolling his eyes playfully, turning the knob.

Like all dogs that have just spotted a human being, Denise's puppy was the first to enter, frantically wagging her little tail and jumping at Jamie's legs. He laughed, scratching behind her ears while she struggled to keep her tiny body balanced in a standing position.

"Oh, don't worry by the way!" Denise assured. "She's house broken!"

Jamie laughed, shaking his head nonchalantly. "Hey Denise. Rodney," he said, still petting the little wiener dog, whose pink tongue was stuck out of her mouth.

"Hi there, Jamie," Denise greeted. "Great to see ya!" She took of one of her mittens and pulled Jamie into a hug. Rodney smiled to him, and he returned it, allowing them into the house.

Denise shivered, hesitantly removing her heavy coat and scarf, and rubbing her arms up and down as she entered the flat. "It's freezing out there!" She shivered again before shifting her attention to the living room. "Oh, wow," she awed. "This is a nice place you got!"

"Yeah, I was lucky! Nice pricing, too, just within my range." Jamie placed a hand on the small table by the door. "Perfect, right?"

Rodney nodded, grinning. "How did you find this?"

"Well, Cathy was really the one who found it."

Denise had just made her way over to Cathy, wrapping her in a hug. "It's so nice to see you!" Cathy commented.

Denise smiled. "Oh, you too, sweetie. How's it been lately?"

The excited puppy struck once again, head flicking from her inspection of the coats on the wooden hook and flocking to the latest person. Despite seeing her before several times during visits, she treated Cathy to the same friendliness as her boyfriend, licking her hand affectionately.

"Oh, she is just too adorable!"

"Innit' she though?" Rodney commented, making his way over and scratching the dog behind the ears as Jamie had. "The missus has got good taste." He smiled, wrapping an arm around Denise, kissing her temple.

Denise's face tinted pink, and she swatted him lightly on the shoulder. "Oh stop it, you cheeky little thing."

Rodney kissed her lightly, this time on the mouth, and Cathy giggled. "You guys are adorable."

The two of them laughed, smiling at each other. No one had even noticed Jamie had left to the kitchen until he called, "So, I know this little one's eager for something, but would you lot fancy a drink?" He smiled while the small dog struggled to get onto the table, pawing at the sides and wiggling her little behind at every attempt to jump it. Jamie laughed, picking her up with one hand and placing her on the surface of the granite, watching as she slipped for a while, gaining her balance.

"I'll have one, yeah," Rodney answered. Denise and Cathy called their "Yes!"s as well, and Jamie began work on the four cups.

Just as he started, he paused to watch the dog slip a little, falling to a sitting position. He chuckled. "So, what do we call this little one, anyway?"

The trio made their way into the kitchen. Denise shrugged, retrieving her cup with a small "Thank you", warming her hands a bit. "Rodney and I haven't really talked about it all that much." She blew on her tea. "We've had a few names, but none of them have stuck." She took the first sip of her tea, right before a thought struck her, and her expression changed. "Oh, Jamie dear, I'm so sorry," she apologized. "Totally forgot me gift for you. Wanted to wait and see what you already had–"

Jamie waved a hand at her, "It's completely fine!" he dismissed, taking his own mug. "Completely fine. Don't expect a thing from you anyway." She looked like she was about to start again, but he smiled and made the same gesture with his hand. "Really, it's fine."

The four of them continued on in a similar way – sipping tea, chatting, playing with the dog. It was the four of them for a while, until Joyce came next, struggling, as always, with thousands of grocery bags.

"Mum, you really don't have to do that." Jamie took as many bags as he could in both hands. "I'm a big boy now."

"Well, a 'You're welcome, Mum' would be nice!" She pecked him on the cheek and brought the rest of the bags to the table. "Besides, it's just a few things."

"Just a few things?" Jamie commented, scoffing, "This is enough to feed, like, at least three Jamie's."

His mom gave him a look, and he watched her step outside the door, coming back with two more bags.

"Yeah, add one more Jamie to that little equation."

"Oh, stop it. At least you won't be hungry!" She patted him on the stomach, opening the shelves and starting to pile things in. "Still waitin' on that welcome!"

"So Denise, Rodney, you remember my mother." Jamie changed the subject, gesturing a hand to Joyce, and the two smiled while she placed a hand to her hip, glaring at her son. She then turned to the two at the table and mirrored their smiles.

"Hi there, you two. And Cathy, of course!"

"Nice to see you, Ms. Bradley." Cathy grinned politely.

Joyce mimicked Jamie's previous movement (Family habit?) and waved her hand. "Oh, sweetheart, you know you can just call me Joyce." She grinned, continuing with the groceries.

And then the talking resumed - conversation after conversation, drink after drink. Luckily, Joyce bought crisps and other snacks, as well as an assortment of drinks.

"Nothing very strong." She placed the milk in the refrigerator followed by a pack of soda. "I think Stu's bringin' the kids."

A moment later there was another knock on the door. It was a quiet one, and almost went unnoticed over the sounds of laughter and cans being opened. Denise and Rodney's puppy had been the one to hear it, lifting her small head and dashing for the door. It was Joyce who received it, heading swiftly for the door. ("I can open my own door, dammit!" "She's just trying to help, now shush!")

"Stuart!" Joyce's voice rang through to the kitchen as she hugged her eldest son tightly. "And Leanne, honey, how _are_ you?"

"_Gran!_"

This whole exchange was picked up from the kitchen, and everyone moved to the living room to greet the newest guests. Jamie was last to make it there and saw Jack and Daisy separating from their grandmother with large grins. Stuart said his hello's too, though the only thing directed to Jamie was a nod and half-wave. He nodded back and waved halfheartedly.

"It still freezing out there?" Denise asked, separating from her own hug with Leanne. "I got here an hour ago, it was brutal."

"Oh, not really," she answered, adding her coat to the hanger. "It was earlier, but it's gotten much better."

Conversation was sparked instantly, and laughter and chatter filled as high as the ceilings. Jamie sat next to Cathy on the couch and listened to everyone talk with a smile. He leaned back and stared at the ceiling for a moment before he felt something jump onto his lap and curl up. He pet the unnamed wiener dog behind the ears just as Daisy came running towards him.

"Uncle Jamie!" She jumped to his side and hugged him around the neck.

"Hey Daisy." He laughed as she stood and, after balancing herself on the soft cushion of the couch and holding onto his head like a control stick, jumped up and down in a fit of giggles.

He grinned and grabbed her hands. "C'mere you little –" He scooped her into his arms, startling the dog, which fled from her position on Jamie's lap and was now watching the two play. Jamie tickled the giggling child, and the puppy pawed lightly at his arm.

"U-Uncle Jamie!" Daisy laughed. "Let g-go!"

"Alright, alright," he complied with a chuckle, kissing the top of her head. He leaned back into the couch, arms behind his head, getting relaxed again. It wasn't until he tilted his head back that he felt the eyes on him. He looked across the room to his left, at his brother. Stuart's hands were buried in his pockets and he was stood right next to Leanne, who was sitting on a chair from the kitchen, chatting animatedly with Denise, Cathy and Joyce. Stuart blinked after a small moment and looked down once Jamie caught his eye, but after a split second looked back at him. He nodded again in acknowledgment and half-smiled. Jamie returned it, but was then distracted by four paws walking across his lap again.

"Good doggy!" Daisy praised, offering a dog treat Denise must've given her. She pet the dog twice before Jack sprinted over with his cowboy hat on. He jumped at Jamie just as Daisy had and the two children continued their "_oh so evil_" torture of their poor uncle. Jack was climbing on him just as his ears caught Joyce's quiet suggestion of cookies under her breath.

"Cookies!"

"Yeah, let's make cookies!"

The two of them ran to their grandmother's side, pulling her into the kitchen, and she laughed all the way. Jamie watched with a grin before turning his attention to the other adults, who were all sipping their drinks and talking with enthusiasm. He glanced at Stuart, but he wasn't watching him this time, but rather Leanne with a peaceful, faraway look in his eyes. Jamie's mouth turned up into a bigger smile for a mere second but fell just as quickly. He played with the rim of his soda can, staring at it, until he felt a hand on his arm.

Cathy smiled at him, leaning her head on his shoulder and hugging her boyfriend around the waist. "And what about you, Bradley?" she asked, shifting so she could look him in the eye from his shoulder. "You haven't been in conversation lately. I'm not used to you being quiet, it's scary."

Jamie laughed, kissing his girlfriend's temple. "Missing my sarcastic, teasing remarks already, are we?"

"Only because it gives me good enough permission to hit you." She grinned sweetly, kissing him, and he smiled back against her mouth. When they separated, Cathy resumed her position against Jamie's shoulder and closed her eyes for a moment. She was on her side, snuggled against him, and on her face was the most beautiful smile. She looked so peaceful.

Time to ruin it.

"Hey Cathy?" Jamie whispered, trailing his thumb over her cheek bone.

She made a soft noise in response, which translated to, "Yes, honey?"

The sound she made next was much harsher.

"You little _bastard_!" Cathy whispered the last word just as Daisy and Jack zoomed by the couple. She sat up, attempting discreetly to rub her backside while still glaring at the completely guiltless smile on her extremely annoying boyfriend's face.

"That's for pinching me for pinching you!" he stated proudly, taking a final sip of his drink.

Cathy punched him in the arm, folding her own.

Jamie rubbed the spot, pouting. "Well, _ow_."

"Is this going to become a recurring thing?" Cathy tried her best to keep a solid evil glare going, but it was pretty much ruined what with her mouth twitching to a smile every so often.

"Oh, c'mon! It wasn't even that hard a pinch." Jamie slung his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to his side.

She kept her arms folded, not looking at him, but with a pink stain on her face. "I hate you."

"I love you."

Cathy gave in, grinning, and looked into Jamie's eyes, as he smiled back at her. She played with the front of his hair, combing it to the side and tilting her head. "Awww." She squeezed him in a tight, loving hug.

Jamie chuckled, kissing her forehead. He smirked into her hair. "_Nailed it_."

"What was that, honey?"

"Nothing, nothing."

Jamie felt another pain in his arm, on top of the last, right where Cathy decided to swat him again. "Jerk," she mumbled.

But she kept smiling, hiding her expression in her boyfriend's shoulder. She tilted her head so her cheek was still rested, but her mouth facing his neck. She nuzzled her nose into him and he chuckled, pulling her close and kissing her head again. She rubbed his arm (ironically, right over the place she had hit him twice) and then his shoulder, pulling him down by the back of his neck to meet her lips. "I love you too, Jamie." She grinned cheekily.

* * *

He knew that he'd feel awkward being here. He was just hoping he'd have Leanne to distract him. But, as he also expected, she got sucked into the party atmosphere and the friends and the chatter, and he was left to stand uncomfortably in the corner.

Sure, he joined the conversation every so often, had a few laughs. But for first half of the party, he was left looking around (it _was_ a pretty nice place) or just eating. He felt …uninvited.

As the night went on, he kept himself from looking _too _uncomfortable – Leanne left a lot of openings for him to jump in with his little stories. She knew how much he liked to crack cheesy jokes that make even his mom and kids laugh and, later in the night, he found himself getting – actually – relaxed.

He was standing by Leanne (who was sitting in a kitchen chair) and was just leaning back, enjoying himself with a glass of ice water. He admired the color of the living room walls and his shoulders slumped in relaxation. He put his drink down on a side table and stuck his hands deep in his pockets and sighed. He watched the conversation, something about what he assumed was shopping, with a small smile.

He suddenly heard the childish giggles of his daughter – the kinds of giggles he heard when the "Tickling Monster" decided to strike before bed. By instinct, he searched for the sound with a grin. His face fell blank as he watched Jamie and Daisy, laughing on the far end of the couch. Jamie gave his niece a kiss on the head and sat back while Daisy played with Denise's dog.

His mouth twitched with a smile before he forced it off. Just as he did, Jamie caught his eye, and Stuart didn't process that he was still watching him until a second after. He blinked, looking down at his right shoe. He tilted it upwards. Jamie was probably still watching him, and he started to get uncomfortable again. But he knew he should do at least something of greeting, so he looked back up and smiled halfheartedly. Jamie did the same, and Stuart felt himself internally sigh as his brother got distracted by the puppy running across his lap.

Stuart tried to look away, tried not to listen in on Jamie's conversations, but for some odd reason he couldn't ignore him. He felt a pang of guilt, of unresolved tension in his gut every time he caught Jamie's attention. Even when his kids were climbing all over him, being their adorable selves, he couldn't douse the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. That was what this night was starting to feel like.

_Uncomfortable._

He suddenly felt a nudge at his side and nearly jumped.

"What'cha looking at?" Leanne grinned playfully at him.

He snaked an arm around her waist. Despite the small smile on his face he sighed, and he stared at the ceiling for a moment. "Nothing really."

Though he wasn't looking at _her_, he knew Leanne was looking at him. But she glanced away for a moment, and that's when he brought his attention back to her. She was watching somewhere across the room, somewhere near the couch, and he followed her eyes to where his brother was sitting. She glanced back up at him with soft, sympathetic eyes, rubbing both of his arms lovingly. She tilted her head onto his shoulder, and they remained silent for a few seconds before Leanne finally spoke.

"Are you gonna talk to him at all?"

Stuart played with his drink for a moment. Was he going to? He should, shouldn't he? It would probably be best if he–

No. Tonight was supposed to be a great Halloween night in, and he didn't want to ruin it for Jamie or for anybody. No, he'd pick a later day for talking. He didn't want to get Leanne wound up – she didn't deserve it. He'd just push the guilt down until the relaxation and contentment overpowered it.

"It'll be fine. Don't worry about me," he answered.

"You sure?" Leanne gave him another look – not of sympathy this time, but just a nice, comforting look. He smiled at her and tightened his hold around her waist, pulling her close to his side. She smiled and looked down sheepishly, adjusting Stuart's shirt.

"I love you," he whispered.

She looked back up at him. He forced a smile, though it was difficult to do with the spontaneous wave of emotion that had decided to take over. He wanted to look away sheepishly himself. He always thought he seemed pretty awkward whenever he broke out the "L Word" in a public place.

But Leanne simply grinned. It was a large grin that reached to her eyes, and Stuart couldn't help but widen his own.

"I love you too, Stu." She leaned in, kissing him deeply, and he held her close. Once they separated, they watched each other with a smile, before laughing and loosening their hold on one other a bit.

"Hey." Leanne smiled. "That rhymed."

Stuart chuckled, spinning her around and hugging her from behind, kissing her temple. "Now, don't let me keep you from having a good time," he said.

"You sure?"

"Positive."

Leanne kissed him again, grasping his hand and giving it a small squeeze, before sitting back down on the side of the couch, rejoining the conversation. Stuart couldn't fight the smile on his face as she immediately got invested in the chatter once again. Everyone broke into laughter after a while, and the kids zoomed around the living room with their toys again, which caused Stuart to laugh himself.

He stayed half in the chatting, half out. He preferred to sip his drink and listen, watching Leanne's face light up when she laughed, or when she remembered a funny story, or when she shared that story. He was in a peaceful daze, and the nerves in his stomach, as he had predicted, died down a little.

That was the moment Jamie looked away with a fleeting smile on his face. The moment he watched his brother with that familiar expression of serenity that he hadn't seen in the longest time as he watched the woman he loved laugh and smile.

Jamie and Stuart didn't get to have their serious conversation for a long while. But they _did_ get the chance to talk, if even a little bit, later that night around the time of a _much_ unexpected arrival.


	10. Halloween Part II

_Context: The night Jamie realizes just how much Cathy means to him._

_(Written by Gina)_

* * *

Leaves Tend to Change in the Autumn (Halloween) - Part II

The night was going great. In fact, it was going perfectly. Everyone was chatting, there were plenty of snacks to go around, and the atmosphere remained upbeat throughout the whole night. Jamie had even given everyone a grand tour of the place. ("And this is the bathroom, a room in which I bathe.")

In addition to the seven adults and two children who previously inhabited the flat, at about 7:00 two familiar faces had decided to drop by and say their hellos as well.

"Uncle Bob!"

"Hi there, Cathy!"

Cathy drew Bob into a tight hug, and he stumbled a little, wrapping his other arm around her for support.

"Woah now! I'm getting' old, you know!"

Cathy laughed, hugging him again before finally releasing her hold on him. Annie laughed as well, going to help her husband with his coat. "Oh, now don't say that," The two of them told him together. They giggled shortly after, grinning at one another.

Bob started to shrug his coat off his shoulders, and Annie helped it off, placing it on the almost full rack. She took her own jacket off, pulling Cathy into a hug. "Oh, and how are you doing, sweetheart?"

"I'm doing well." She grinned, separating. "How have you two been? I was afraid you'd not show up."

"Of course we'd show up!"

Denise had pulled Bob a chair from the kitchen. He lowered himself into it, patting Denise's hand which was on his shoulder to help support himself, resting his feet. He gave her a quick, "Thank you" and a one-armed hug.

Annie stuffed her gloves into the pockets of her jacket and turned back to Cathy. "We're sorry we couldn't have gotten here sooner," she apologized with soft eyes. "We had to make a quick stop at the drug store, picking up medicine."

Cathy shook her head. "It's fine, I understand." She slung an arm around her uncle's shoulder again in another small hug. "I'm just glad you both could be here."

The two had proceeded on with their greetings, hugs and smiles being shared throughout the room and drinks being offered. Annie had been just as polite towards Jamie as she had everyone else, getting his attention by placing a hand on his shoulder. "Hello, dear," she greeted with a smile. "Lovely place."

"Thank you, thank you, cheers." He smiled back as politely as he could. He couldn't help his formality – Annie was lovely and didn't look down on him, but that was just the thing. He supposed he wasn't used to being treated like "one of the adults" and to actually being taken seriously.

She pat him once on the shoulder and turned to start conversation with Joyce. He took a sip of his drink and scouted the room, watching the conversations around him. He caught Bob's eye and nearly dropped his can, sputtering a little. Bob's arms were folded and he looked stern, but his eyes softened a second after as he saw Jamie stagger for a moment before scratching the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. Bob gave him a nod and kind smile, just as Leanne tapped his shoulder and hugged him around the neck.

Jamie let out a breath, not sure if he had been holding it in or not, folding his own arms. But after a moment, he felt one of his arms being pulled out of that position, and he looked down to see Cathy wrapping it around her shoulders and hugging him around the waist. She sipped her drink, and after a second she finally looked up at him, acting as if she hadn't noticed him standing there. "Oh, hello." She smiled.

He chuckled and squeezed her tight, eliciting a small giggle from his girlfriend. He continued to watch her, even after she'd looked away. He smiled, his eyes following every tilt of her head and bat of her lashes. He beamed when she laughed, even if he had not a clue why she was in the first place. He chuckled to himself when she scrunched her nose in confusion. Even if she had a blank expression, he couldn't help but smile and kiss her forehead lovingly.

And just like that the party atmosphere was restored, as strong as ever. Most parties would need music to keep the mood livened, but with the overlapping of stories, and the exchanging of jokes, and the interruptions from the kids, one would have to try exceptionally hard to actually un-liven it.

But more on that later.

* * *

It was later in the night. Everyone was calm, chatting in their groups, eating a few bites here and there. Denise and Rodney had brought a small dog bed for their puppy, and Jamie just told them to leave it in his room. After convincing them that it was entirely alright with him, they complied, and they left the door open a crack in case she felt like coming back out. But altogether the night was nearing towards that calm, peaceful period where everything was just relaxed (not just because the excited puppy was now resting and not jumping at the guests' legs).

The only real "drama" so far was about twenty minutes after Bob and Annie dropped in. It was almost 7:27, and for the past fifteen minutes Daisy and Jack had been begging their father to let them go trick-or-treating. Stuart was always reluctant to allow them around town, even with him by their sides. But even with adults and street lamps to guide the way, he still hesitated to let them patter around at this hour.

"I just don't want you two separating and running off."

"But we won't!"

"We'll stay close!"

"Buddy system!"

Stuart sighed. He was crouched next to his children, who both had a hold on his arms and, with every sentence, tugged at his shirt sleeve, which pulled his shoulders with it. Leanne constantly offered to go with them, let Stuart relax, but while he trusted Leanne completely, he was still frightened to let them out of his sight.

"It's late; I don't want either of you getting hurt."

"Then come with us!"

"Yeah, come with us!"

Leanne had sensed a while ago that Stuart was getting tired and had a bit of a mild headache, and the last thing he wanted to do was run after his kids in the dark. But it was Stuart, and he wouldn't do anything that would upset his children – not even if only a little bit.

He continuously brought up his previous offers of simply dashing to the store and buying numerous bags of candy for them to eat. He'd even let them spend the rest of the night in their costumes. But the mere thought of ruining the tradition of Trick-or-Treating was pure blasphemy to his two dear children. (And sometimes even to his brother, who insisted on incessantly gasping from his place on the couch.) He was about to give in, allowing Jack and Daisy to go out and have their fun, pulling him with them, until a suggestion was made.

"Jamie and I could bring them around the building if you want." Cathy gave Stuart a small tilted smile, shrugging her shoulders, and placing her chin in her palm. Jamie smiled at her, mimicking her movement without shifting his glance, and she giggled, kissing his cheek.

"That's a great idea!" Leanne praised. "And – hey – I could call up Stacy and have one of her friend's mum's drop her off here, too!" She clapped once, her fingers intertwined in front of her face with a half-pleading smile.

Jack and Daisy seemed more than delighted with this idea, and they bounced up and down, rockiing on their heals, putting on their best shows to convince their dad to let them go. After a good minute, Stuart gave in, sitting himself on the ground and pulling the two of them close to him, kissing the tops of both their heads.

"Alright … you can go." Jack cheered and Daisy hugged her dad's neck, launching into talk about the candy she was going to get.

"_But_," he hushed them, "You have to promise me you're not going to get into any trouble tonight."

They instantaneously flung in with a defense, how they were always behaved children and how they would continue to be, before a finger to Stuart's lips sealed theirs.

"Now, I know you two will be perfect angels."

"I'm actually going as a fairy this year."

"I know you are Daisy, but I just need to hear the two of you promise, okay? We don't know the people here, so you need to be well behaved, you hear me?"

The two of them mumbled their promises, and Stuart smiled, pulling them to his side again.

"Oh, you know daddy loves you." He sighed. "But you know what else daddy loves? Snickers. And not any of that cheap bite-sized stuff, I want the king-sized good stuff, understand?"

All three of them laughed, and the kids hugged their dad with promises of the best candy they could find. Leanne's arms were folded, watching Stuart lift himself from the floor with a small grunt, straightening his back and hugging his kids another time. She couldn't help herself – she gave him a kiss on the cheek, and he smiled at the pleasant surprise, shifting to hug her now. He pulled her to him tightly, restraining her arms to her chest, and she laughed, trying only a tad – through giggles – to shake him off of her.

Daisy and Jack spent the next five minutes after that trying to wrestle into their costumes while at the same time chatting excitedly with their dad about candy and other treats. Jack's cowboy costume took almost no time at all, while Daisy's dress just refused to stay in place. After cutting a loose string from the hem, it appeared that the pair were geared up and ready to go.

"Can we go now? _Pleaaaase?_" Jack tugged at Jamie's sleeve, just as he had to his dad, and looked at him with pleading eyes. Jamie chuckled, ruffling his nephew's hair.

"'Course, kiddo." He smiled. He looked over at Cathy, who was standing next to Leanne as she phoned Stacy. Cathy caught him watching her and smiled. Jamie grinned goofily at her, just to make her smile, and she laughed, covering her mouth so it wasn't loud enough to block out Leanne's voice on the speaker.

"Okay… Yes, of course… Alright, thank you sweety, see you soon… Love you, too…. Bye!"

She shut her phone and made her way to Stuart's side. "She said she was almost in this part of town anyway. She'll be here in a moment." She smiled.

Daisy and Jack groaned from Jamie's sides, pouting.

"In a moment?"

"But I don't wanna wait a moment!"

They fell to the floor, and Jamie pulled them back to their feet with a grin.

"Alright, alright, maybe you guys can just go now –"

Rapid knocking drew silence over the group. Denise and Annie's eyes both widened a little in surprise.

"Well that was sure quick."

Rodney, who was closest to the door, shrugged. "Would you like me to answer?"

Jack and Daisy looked at one another, excited, and ran from the room to retrieve their pillow cases. Another chorus of rapid knocking sounded, and Joyce hustled her way to the door, despite being in the back of the room and the farthest than anyone else.

"I'll get it!"

"Seriously, mum!"

"Oh shush you, I don't see you making an effort!"

"That's just because I –"

Joyce gave him a look, swinging the door open. "Oh really, won't you just hush a mo– "

Not even when it was just Jamie and Cathy had the flat ever been so silent. Everyone remained in their places, bolted to the floor, struck in a stupor.

Amy flipped her hair behind her back, adjusting her cowgirl's hat. She let out a "Brrrr!" and tugged at her denim skirt, pulling it towards her bare knees. If it was awkward for her being here, she wasn't showing it – and she must've been a damn good actress, too.

"Oh, I should've brought a jacket, shouldn't I? Oh silly me, thought I'd be in a bar all night or something. Wasn't expecting this."

"Yeah." Stuart breathed. Everyone was expecting him to continue, but he just stood there. He made a few attempts to move himself, but he wouldn't budge. Amy rocked on her heals, trying her best not to look Stuart in the eye, but instead casually inspecting the flat. But she eventually ended up running out of things to look at, as the walls were still bare, and she had to settle with catching Stuart's stare. It wasn't of longing or anything – it was just confusion.

She smiled sweetly, intertwining her fingers in front of her and rolling on her heals one last time. "Well, howdy there, Stu." She tipped her hat to him and giggled. He stared at her for another second before breaking away and wiping his face with his hands. He finally got his legs to carry him towards the door, where he stopped and folded his arms.

Jamie was mouthing something, but Stuart's back was to him. Though, Cathy could definitely hear a little of what he was whispering, from her place at his side. "_C'mon, Stu, let her have it._"

Stuart let out a large breath. His eyebrows were furrowed a little, and his fingers twitched. For a moment it looked like he was actually about to mouth off to her, scream at her, get out everything he should've a long time ago.

"Hi Amy." He whispered softly, burying his hands in his pockets.

Jamie rolled his eyes. "Oh, brother."

Stuart, without looking at him directly, snapped at him from over his shoulder. "Shut it."

"_Oh_, brother." His face was in his hands now and he chuckled a little. "No, literally,_oh brother_."

"Ignore him."

Amy chuckled, folding her arms. "I'll try my best." She eyed him over Stuart's shoulder from the doorway. "Happy to see me, are we?"

It was hard for anyone to determine who gave the eviler glare. Jamie – or his mum.

"Hey there, Amy." Joyce greeted, as sweetly as possible. "How _have_ you been? Haven't seen you around lately." She folded her arms, glaring menacingly. "You're kids have been asking for you."

Though she tried her hardest to stay indifferent, Cathy could've sworn, even to this day, that she saw the slightest flicker of change in Amy's expression – her mouth twitch, her eyes soften . But the next thing out of her mouth kept Cathy from feeling all too sympathetic – In fact, quite the contrary.

"So Jamie," she started, not even taking her eyes off of Joyce. "You and that Cathy still on, yeah?"

"Yeah, and she's–" he drew a hand around Cathy's waist, pulling her into view, causing her to stumble a bit "–_right _over here."

Cathy looked nervously towards her boyfriend, who was smirking and slowly tightening his hold on her hips after every second that Amy stared at him. She looked for a split second at the blonde in the doorway, who had a look in her eye that made her blood boil for a small second. But Cathy was a reasonable young woman, especially with herself, and she knew how to calm herself down quite well. She took one of Jamie's hands in her own with a smile, intertwining their fingers and lifting their hands a little so they were plainly visible. He looked down at her and despite the obviously nervous, maybe even slightly frightened, look in his eye, he smiled at her, kissing her forehead.

Amy cleared her throat and Stuart shifted on his feet. "And how about you, Stuart?" she asked, one of her fingers in front of her mouth. "How's things between you and Leah been?"

Leanne had been watching from the sidelines for a while, but now was the time to step in. She sauntered from her spot, passing between Bob and Rodney, and making her way to Stuart's side.

"Engaged." Leanne smiled, softly grabbing Stuart's hand like Cathy had with Jamie.

This simple gesture drew a response from Amy, as she expected – though, not the response any of _them_ had expected. At all.

She smiled.

In fact, she smiled to widely, and so sweetly that it threw a few of them off guard. But her eyes were cold, colder than before, and she almost chuckled, turning her attention to Leanne.

"Oh, that's wonderful." She commented, almost letting another laugh go. "I'm so happy for you _both_."

With her body still to Leanne, she directed her attention to Stuart. "It's cold out here." She commented. "Way too cold for a little old cowgirl like me."

"Be careful, Stu – Vampires can't enter a house unless you invite them in."

Amy rolled her eyes at Jamie's monotonous comment, sighing, before looking at Stuart once more. "Can I come in?" she asked kindly, batting her lashes.

"See, what I did just say?"

Stuart stepped out of the way, giving Jamie a look, just as Cathy slapped his arm.

"Ow!"

"_Don't be so rude_!" his girlfriend scolded. Though, he could've sworn, even for a split second, that she was smiling a little. He smiled back at her, wrapping his arm around her waist and kissing her forehead.

Just then, his mum swatted him on the arm just as Cathy had. Though, compared to what he usually got as a scolding from his mum, it was barely even a tap. And the tone of voice she used was more forced than anything.

"_You_ need to be more considerate, young man!" she whispered to him. But when she thought no one was watching, she poked his arm, and he looked down to see her fist raised at his side. He grinned even wider than before, discreetly touching his knuckle to hers, and she smirked at him with a wink, crossing towards Denise and Annie. Cathy hid her snickered behind Jamie's back, and he grinned goofily at her again, causing her to giggle once more.

Amy stepped slowly into Jamie's flat with her arms folded. Every step she took made a click on the wood tiling, which rang through the entire room.

"So this is it, then?" She commented. It was a bored tone she used, but she did sound a little impressed.

Stuart snapped himself out of his shocked trance. He was still at the door, having not closed it yet, and Leanne was still by her side. Her hand was on his shoulder, rubbing along his back comfortingly. She hadn't said anything, letting him soak in everything himself. But he was processing it all now, and he closed the door lightly with a soft _click_.

"So, A-Amy," he began, slowly making his way to where she was stood in the center of the room. "How are you - … Actually, how did you – I mean, not too be rude, but how did you even get here?"

Amy sighed nonchalantly, grabbing an unopened can of pop from the table. "Oh, you know, my little invite to this_ shindig_ must've been lost in the mail, coz I never got the memo." She swirled her finger over the top of the can. She eyed Cathy, before she stretched her arm out all the way with the can in her hand, towards Jamie. "Would you be a dear and open this for me?" She stuck out her pinky and smiled sweetly, "I just got me nails done this afternoon." Jamie glared at her for a small second, but took the can regardless. She smiled at him.

"Thank you, hun."

"You didn't answer my question."

Stuart stood rigid in his spot. His voice was stern, and he was trying his absolute hardest to look her in the eye and to seem even a little bit welcoming. Bob, Denise, Rodney, Annie – they were all plastered together near the wall, each with different expression, not sure if they should interrupt or not. Bob watched Stuart, closing his eyes and sighing to himself.

_I know it's hard, son. I know it is._

Jamie thrust the can back her, spilling some of its content into the crevices at the top, and she looked startled. "Oh!" she gasped. "Why thank you." She winked at him, taking a sip and licking her lips with a raise of her eyebrows.

Just then, small clicks carried from out in the hallway, sliding across the floor, until finally a small dark blur dashed into the room. Amy shrieked as something jumped up on her, spilling her soda a little on the floor. Denise ran straight for the excited puppy before it could lap up any of the spilled fluid, drawing her into her arms protectively.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Amy." She apologized sincerely, trying to calm the squirming dog. "She's new, still a bit jumpy, I really am sor –"

"You got a dog?" Amy's mouth twitched, and her hands were in front of her as if to shield herself if the dog were to make a jump for her hat. "_Another_ dog?"

Denise blushed. "Well, Rodney and I got this one together." She smiled over her shoulder at him, who blushed himself and looked at the ground sheepishly.

"Oh." Amy stared wide eyed at the wiener dog, jumping at every wriggle the thing made. "Yeah, but she's still a puppy, so she's a bit wiggly, I know." Denise apologized again, restraining the animal from jumped at the large necklace on Amy's chest.

Amy muttered something like "get that thing away from me" under her breath. And for some reason, Jamie found his anger boiling at the comments. He couldn't handle his anger anymore, and he folded his arms and spat. "Yeah, we were thinking of naming her Amy, you know, because she's stubborn little bitch."

Denise, Leanne and Cathy all gasped, though – even combined – not nearly as loudly as Amy did. Her head snapped towards him, and her fist balled. Stuart was about to snap at Jamie himself, but a chuckle from his mum stopped him. He gave her a "please-be-the-mature-one" look and she waved a hand, blocking her mouth. Amy glared at her for a split second, before looking back at Jamie and tightening her fists. Cathy's mouth was wide open and she was in so much shock that all she could do was just watch.

"_You_ _are a child_!" Amy snapped at him through her teeth, stomping her foot on the ground at the last word. He couldn't stop himself now, and his mouth just spouted as he advanced further towards.

"Well then that makes you a right pervert, now _dunnit_?"

"You little _brat_!"

"Oh, I'm the brat?!"

Cathy snapped back to her senses as her boyfriend got closer to the blond woman in the middle of the room. She ran to his side, grabbing his arm and yanking him back. She slapped him again, scolding him in whispers.

"_Now what if the kids had heard you say that_?!"

"Well they didn't, did they?"

"_But what if they _had?" she hit him again, a little harder this time, and he retracted. He folded his arms with a pout, and Amy, after watching him get punished, straightened her back, smoothing down her hair. She pivoted on her heal, facing away from the four bewildered figures in the back, one still keeping hold on a dog. (Who looked equally as shocked)

She glared once at Joyce again, who was biting her bottom lip to suppress a smile and waved back at her. She then directed all of her attention to her ex-fiancé. He didn't looked surprised or anything, but rather a mix of emotions – confused, sad, angry.

_Blank._

Really, what _was_ that blank?

"So Stuart –"

But he cut her off before she could continue with her vague, cool-chick persona. His arms were folded tightly, his hands gripping his arms so tight that the tips of his fingers were red. But other than that, he showed no sign of relative anger anymore.

"How," he began. "Did you get here?" he repeated.

Her eyed widened a little, and she grew nervous, intimidated under his gaze. She swallowed, folding her own arms over her chest. Her mouth was pressed together stubbornly, and she refused to look anyone else in the eye – not even Joyce, whose eyebrows were raised expectantly.

Stuart was going to ask her again to please answer his previous question, but before he could, the sounds of two pairs of running footsteps hit his ears and his heart dropped into the pit of his stomach.

"Dad, we found them!" Jack called, sprinting into the room and nearly toppling over as he stopped himself from slamming into his dad. "They were in the way bottom of Daisy's bag!"

Stuart tried to smile, tried to give Jack a casual, happy expression to match his, but the best he could muster was a soft sad look and a half smile.

"Dad, what's –"

"That's great, Jack."

The young boy turned his head towards the new voice. His eyes lit up, and he grinned widely, releasing from his father and meeting his mother in a hug. "Mum!" he cried, throwing his arms around her.

Daisy followed suit, equally excited. They hugged her so tight that she nearly fell over, staggering to the side. She steadied herself and with a short chuckle.

"Hey." She whispered simply. She hugged each of her children in each arm, pulling them to her, before separating.

"Mummy, you're a cowgirl!" Jack said, excitedly. "And I'm a cowboy! We match!" he exclaimed.

"How about that?" She laughed. Daisy jumped up and down at her other side.

"And I'm a fairy, mum!"

"Oh wow, sweety, that's a cute little outfit!" she grinned, following the hopping child. "Did you pick it out all by yourself?"

Daisy spun once, her dress fluttering out at the sides and sprinkling a little glitter on the floor. "Well, I was gonna go as a daisy flower, but then Leanne got me this dress!" she grabbed at the hems of it, hiking it up to show her mother her shoes. "She said I looked like a princess!" she giggled. "But I said it was more like a fairy!"

Cathy instinctively looked at Leanne first. For a moment she actually looked a little heartbroken as she watched Amy with a hand to her chest. But Leanne looked up at Stuart next, and her expression became even more sympathetic as she watched his own blank face.

Amy stared at her daughter for a long while, her smile slowly sliding off her face and disappearing into a thin, pressed line on her mouth.

"Well, you look nice." She commented. She brought herself back to a standing position, her arms by her side. Jack tilted his head in confusion and grabbed one of Amy's arms, shaking it about.

"Oh c'mon, mum!" he begged. His voice lowered to a whisper. "Smile."

Stuart was about to break in and pull his kids back to hug them – but before he could, he was surprised to see Jamie be the one to step in. He stepped over to Jack's side, removing his grip on Amy's arm and taking it in his own hand.

"Your mum's busy right now." He gave Amy a quick blank glance, and she gave him a brief small smile – _Thank you_ – before glancing back down at her son, who pouted at his uncle.

"But hey – how about we go get you two some candy, eh?" He grinned and saw the pout wipe right off his nephew's face as he gasped in delight. "Really?"

"Yeah," he said, ruffling his hair, "Right now, kiddo."

Leanne's pocket buzzed just then, and she pulled out her cell phone. "Text from Stacy. She's actually almost here." She announced with a small, forced smile.

Daisy grinned from ear to ear, "Let's go Uncle Jamie!" she tugged at his shirt once, running over to the door. Jack followed her, stopping in front of his dad to give him a quick hug, before grabbing his jacket and meeting Daisy.

Jamie chuckled, following them without a second glance at Amy. However, when he got to the door, he did look back, but at Cathy instead. She was watching him with soft eyes and a smile on her face the entire time.

"You comin'?" he asked. She nodded, meeting him at the door and grabbing her jacket from the rack. After she had it over her shoulders, she grabbed Jamie's hand and smiled at him.

"Well, we're off." She announced to the group. There was slight awkwardness, but everyone managed to say their goodbyes. But Amy just smiled sadly at her two children, who were grinning and bouncing excitedly in front of the door.

"You better get going." She said softly, still staring off at them. "Almost 8:00."

They said a quick "Goodbye!" to the group and ran out the door. Jamie continued after the two, hurrying so he wouldn't lose them. Cathy lingered, smiling at everyone, before she shut the door behind her after one last look at Stuart and Leanne – even one directed towards Amy.

After the soft _click_ of the door, similar to the one they had heard just moments ago, there was once again a silence among the remaining visitors of Jamie Bradley's flat. Stuart had his focus on the door out of the corner of his eye, but after a few seconds, he sighed faintly, looking back at Amy.

He was almost taking a back – she had, possibly, the saddest look he had ever seen on her face. Her eyes were red, a little puffy, but there were no tears brimming her eyes. Her mouth was open only a little, allowing a few shallow breaths. Her hands were by her side, and they continuously bunched up her skirt, then released it, then gripped it again. Stuart's eye softened, and his voice lowered to a whisper.

"Amy –"

"I saw your car." She whispered back. A few small tears built in her eyes, but she made no effort to blink them away. "Tyler and I were driving to the bar, but I recognized your car."


	11. Halloween Part III

_Context: The night Jamie realizes just how much Cathy means to him._

_(Written by Gina)_

* * *

Leaves Tend to Change in the Autumn (Halloween) - Part III

Amy had taken off her hat just a moment after the door closed behind her children. She sat herself down in the middle of the couch with her hands on her lap. Stuart offered her several drinks, but she continuously refused. She simply remained seated, shaking her head, and occasionally sniffling. She seemed very interested in the wooden coffee table in front of her, and she stared blankly at it, not looking anyone in the eye. She just stared off into space.

The only reaction Stuart was able to get out of her was when he silently placed a steaming mug in front of her, seating himself in a chair on the other side of the table. She shifted her attention to the hot tea, blinking twice. In between those blinks, her eyes flickered to the man across from her and then back at the cup.

Leanne had been chatting with Joyce, Denise, Rodney, Bob and Annie while Stuart tried, in vain, to get a conversation out of his ex-fiancée. She tried to explain to the other guests, as discreetly and politely as she could, that perhaps the party should come to an early end. Bob raised a hand to her half way through one of her rambles. She stopped, waiting for him to speak, but he simply nodded at her.

"Well then," he lifted himself from his seat with a small grunt, finding Annie's hand, "I think we better be off. See you at the next shindig then, eh?"

Annie cleared her throat, putting on a small smile. She hugged Leanne softly, but with a quick squeeze as she whispered. "Have a nice night, dear."

Leanne smiled at them in response as they made their way to the coat rack. Denise and Rodney shared a quick look, shifting on their feet for a while before saying their own goodbyes. Their small dachshund puppy had seized its squirming, and was now resting in Denise's arms, eyeing Leanne as Rodney grabbed their coats.

Stuart heard the clicking of the door, but he didn't turn to say any goodbyes. He let his head fall with a sigh, rubbing at the back of his neck, groaning softly to himself. Amy took the cup of tea in her hand, just slowly wrapping her fingers around it. She hesitantly looked back at Stuart. Her eyes were blank, but he saw just the tiniest trace of grief in her stare, and Stuart sighed again, leaning back in his chair.

Leanne watched Stuart with folded arms. She bit her lip, her own stare sympathetic, and all she wanted was to rub his neck and make him feel relaxed again. But the only thing she could do to be of assistance was bring Stuart his own cup of tea and to remain silent. She tried not to feel like she was interrupting, though she knew this was something the two of them needed to sort out on their own. She decided on stepping into the other room, waiting until Stuart needed her.

Amy suddenly turned her head, tilting her chin down and taking in a shuttering breath.

"Tyler's me boyfriend." She began with a soft voice. "We've been dating for almost two months now. He really is sweet – buys me whatever I ask." She smiled to herself, picking at her finger nails with a far-off look in her eye, before swallowing and wiping the expression from her face. "I told him I wanted to go to the bar since they were throwing a little Halloween costume contest. We went as cowboys…" she was staring at cup her when she trailed off. She swirled her spoon twice, taking a quick sip. Stuart continued to watch her unblinkingly, afraid that if he interrupted her now she'd stop speaking.

"We were passing by, there was a bit of traffic, and we stopped." She continued, staring straight ahead of her at a chair by the wall. "He told me a joke and I started laughing. When I turned my head to calm myself, I looked out the window… And I recognized your car."

Her sentence had already been fading, and the last part was a choked whisper. She stayed silent for a second, her cup raised to her lips, before she downed a long sip. She swallowed it quickly, staring off and lightly tracing her nails along the mug and its handle.

Stuart took in a deep breath through his nostrils, looking down at his folded hands. He leaned in his seat so his elbows were on the coffee table. It was time he started moving this conversation along before it got off topic. But just as he was about to say something, she started talking, smiling down at her mug.

"When he suggested we go as cowboys I just had to say yes. Little Jack running about, waving his little toy guns and parading the room."

She stopped after that. Not just vocally, but altogether she simply… Stopped. Her face fell, her hands loosened – even her blonde hair seemed to droop. Stuart watched her for a moment before looking down at the table.

"Why did you come here in the first place?"

She shifted her feet a little, biting her lip and looking to her right, before looking back at Stuart again. It wasn't a particularly hard question, not a question that one would need to really rack their brains for. And yet, Amy seemed to struggle with finding the right words, which, quite frankly, was starting to annoy Stuart. Before he had time to speak again, she beat him to it again, as she found her voice.

"Well, I… Well, when I saw your car, I was surprised…" she swallowed. "But I was even more surprised to find that I didn't recognize the place it was parked.

"I can't really explain what it was that drew me to stop. Told Tyler he could get me later. I didn't want to spoil his fun." She chuckled a little. "Though, I guess I kind of ruined yours, it would seem." She laughed feebly again, looking down at her wringing hands. Stuart didn't say anything, but looked down at his now folded arms as a sheet of silence covered the two.

"Why Leanne?"

It was such a softly spoken question that Stuart, for a moment, wasn't sure he had even heard it. He looked up from his arms and, sure enough, Amy was watching with him large, innocent eyes. He felt himself smile, though he didn't intend to, and sigh happily.

"Why anyone?" He chuckled. "Just … because."

"Because…?" she pried.

"Because she's perfect to me." Stuart grinned. "She's just this amazingly kind person, always putting her daughter and me above everything. I mean, I do the same, but she's just this constant worker. I can be like that too, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy myself, you know? But she's just… she's great."

He must've forgotten he was talking to his ex, and he shut himself up after that. Though, she stared at him with a vague smile, leaning forward with her arm balanced on her knee, and her face in her hand. Her mouth twitched after a while, and he saw her eyes change. He wasn't sure _how _they had changed, but they just had. She straightened her back, smoothing her skirt.

"So," she began. Stuart knew he had said something wrong, and her expression became a tad menacing, and her eye brows arched in a threatening way, and her eyes bore an intimidating stare into his own. "Leanne's pretty great, is she?"

Stuart knew not to answer, as it often saved him from too long a rant, but it only seemed to make her more enraged. And he knew he had upset her further, because her smile grew and she blinked rapidly for split-second, glaring at him.

"So, was _I_ … ya know." She folded her arms and looked down at her knees. "Was _I_ever that important to you?" She arched her eyebrows and stared him down. Stuart's mouth was open a little, but no sound came out, as he was afraid that if he said the wrong thing she'd explode. But, if he didn't, she'd badger him and throw a fit.

_It's a trap._

"Well…" Stuart searched for the right words. "Well, of course I _did_." He paused again. "But… I mean, not _anymore_. We've moved on – You got yourself a_boyfriend_," he gestured a hand to her. "And I'm… I'm engaged." He ended it on that. He'll admit, it was a weak closing, but he had slipped his way onto some thin ice as it was, so he might as well steer himself into the skid.

Amy cleared her throat and looked down at her lap again. When she looked back up she had a very forced smile and an ominous glint in her eyes. She arched her eyebrows and said, in a sickly-sweet voice.

"Well… That's just _great_." She grinned. "_Great_."

She folded her arms and smiled again, continuing to stare him down. Though he knew he shouldn't press on after that, his mouth seemed to betray him.

"Why, uh… Why are you asking me this?" He tried to ask the question coolly, acting as if he wasn't concerned for the answer. But he was sure she knew he did – and her mouth morphed from a casual grin to a pressed thin line.

She sighed. "No reason," she said, clicking her tongue once. "Just wondering." She paused for a moment. Stuart almost thought she was finished before she took a large intake of breath.

"It's just that you and Leah seem very… _happy_ together." She ran a hand through the ends of her hair. "I just wanted to know about you guys is all."

"Well, yeah , but… Why?"

"What?" Amy struck back, a little too quickly. She tried to remain impassive. "I can't just check up on you and Leanne?"

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with _us_?" Stuart replied, leaning forward slightly in his chair.

"Well, because with Leanne –"

"I don't understand why you're bringing her into this."

"It's nothing, really, just asking how you and Leah –"

"And it's _Leanne_ –"

"–Have been going lately."

Stuart, unconvinced, pressed on. "What does Leanne even have to do with anything?"

"Well, why do _you_ not want me bringing her up," Amy shot, struggling to keep composed. She curled a strand of her hair around her finger, "_Stu_?"

"Because, if I remember correctly, you've never had anything specifically _kind _to say about her."

"Because it's _her_!" Amy shouted, her face growing slightly pink with anger. "It's all_her_ with you!" She spat out her words venomously, not a second after Stuart finished his sentence. "You never acted like this with me!"

"Why do you even care anymore? And what's her fault then?" Stuart reacted sharply, shifting fiercely in his seat.

She did not reply to his question, but changed the subject, folding her arms tightly across her chest. "How long did it take you to decide you wanted to spend the rest of your life with her?"

"That doesn't even mat –"

"_How long_?"

"Why do you even care?!"

_"Because if it took you a heartbeat for her, why couldn't it have taken that less for me?!"_

Stuart stared at her, shocked, sputtering for a moment. "What are you even going on about?"

Amy shook her head, scoffing, and gripping her folded arms. "It's like you just had nothing holding you back. It took you no time at all to just… just _jump_ to that decision of getting married like it was nothing!" she flew a hand up dramatically to emphasize her point. "When it took you so long to even propose, and then even_longer_ to buy a ring –"

"You _know_ why the ring took so long to get." Stuart reacted. "We're lucky I won the lottery–" He chuckled dryly. "Actually, we _aren't_ at _all_," he scoffed_. "_but you're lucky I even could afford to get you a ring in the first place!"

"Oh, but price wasn't the only reason, was it?" Her voice was reaching the dry mocking pitch she would always use when she argued with someone. Stuart always thought she used it to make him feel as though he were below her.

"_I_ think," she began, putting a hand to her chest, "that the _real_ reason you could never give me that ring was because you never actually cared about me!"

"How could you even _say_ that?" Stuart shot back. He had reached a level of actual, genuine offense, and he bellowed. "The woman who would next to _never_ tell me she loved me, when I spent every hour of every _day,_ of _every week,_ working my ass off to even _show_ I felt the same!"

"I-I –" Amy glared at him, unable to even form a sentence through her anger. "I told you _plenty_."

"Well if you even _knew_ a _thing_ about me," His voice matched the poisonous level of hers. "you'd at least know that I like to be reminded every once in a while!"

Stuart knew after he said this that the remainder of this argument would continue on in a colossal dump of words. And he had an _arsenal_ of things he wished he could say to her when they were together, and he wasn't going to hold back. And he knew she'd bring her A game as well.

After a few minutes or so of overlapping shouting, they dropped the volume of their argument, as to not trouble those next door. But the quarrel remained intense, as neither contestant seemed to show any sign of backing down.

"Do you even realize how _heart-broken_ I was when we ended?" Stuart poked his chest for emphasis. "About you just _abandoning_ this family like that –"

"I felt just as horrible as _you_ did and you _know_ that!" Her hand was shaking and flying in her rage, as it always did when she was this angry, but Stuart continued on.

"Oh _really_?" He commented mockingly. "Because you didn't seem _that_ upset about losing me!Now, my _money _on the other hand –"

"Don't you ever_ dare _to say that!" she clenched her fists. "I cared about more about you than anyone in my life!"

"_Then why would you just _leave_?"_

He caught himself before he could say anymore, sinking more in his seat in an attempt to make himself comfortable and calm, gripping the arms tightly. Amy seemed like she was going to retaliate, but stopped herself. She still seemed to be fuming as she sat back and folded her arms tightly across her chest. Stuart sighed loudly, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand exhaustedly.

"You know… Jack and Daisy miss having their mum."

Amy must've still been upset, because she didn't look at him, but inhaled silently, heaving her whole body as she did so. "Oh, what, is Leah not enough?"

Stuart closed his eyes with a sigh, trying his hardest to ignore her comment. "You know what I mean."

He could've sworn he saw her eyes flicker out of the corner of her eye to his knee and then back at the wall, though she tried to pretend she hadn't.

"Well…" She sighed again before she continued speaking, studying her own knees. "I can't say I haven't missed them, either." She admitted with a sad smile. "But…"

Amy trailed off after that. She blinked twice, picking at her finger nail, before blinking twice again, fast, and turning to Stuart. "But it would just be so… _hard_." She started, her expression crestfallen. "Looking them in the eye… Telling them that they won't be seeing their mum all that much. I mean," She huffed as if she couldn't believe it herself. "That would just _hurt_."

Stuart saw her sad, pleading eyes, but he was already thoroughly convinced he was not going to let it get to him this time. He knew what was right, and he was sticking to that.

"Look, Amy," Stuart began, "I think it'd be best if you talked to them. And I can get you alone with them. I think it'd be good for –"

Suddenly she was hysterical, and she leapt forward in her seat, her eyes red and widening. She shook her head and choked out. "Oh no! N-No, I couldn't, it would – They'd–" she sniffed, searching for words. She softened her tone, though this did little to hide her worry, putting her hands together. "They'd hate me. C-Couldn't you – Just –"

"Amy, I can't just keep skipping around this, they need to hear from _you_–"

Her eyes were pleading, her voice begging and desperate, and her sentences hoarse and whispery. "Stu, please! Could you please, ju-just-just talk to them for me? Please, I couldn't… They'd listen to you."

"_What_?" It wasn't that he didn't hear her – he just couldn't believe what he'd heard.

"P-Please…" She begged him so quietly that she had practically mouthed it. Stuart was silent, eyeing her with a look of disbelief.

"Your _own children_–"

"I know it's a dreadful thing to ask–"

"Yes, yes it is!" he shifted harshly in his chair, now seated on the edge of it, with the same bewildered look. He laughed dryly. "I'm sorry," he shook his head. "But that's just… an _awful_ thing to ask right now."

Amy's mouth was open as if she was going to respond. She stared at him with a wounded expression, before letting a shaky breath out. She shook her head once and breathed. "_Please_…"

Stuart calmed himself, leaning back in his chair again. He brought his hand to his mouth and shook his head again. For a moment he didn't speak, and the silence made Amy uneasy. "Stu –?"

"You know what the problem is here?"

Amy stared at him, shocked at how gentle his voice was now. He didn't look at her at first, but rather at a small pink bag with a curly _D_ sewn onto it that was sat next to the coat rack. He started speaking.

"You try _so_ hard to ignore the hard things and focus only on the things that benefit you." He looked at her now, but it made her wish she hadn't, for despite the calm tone he was attempting to keep, his eyes made his words feel like breadknives to her heart.

"You're so… _afraid_ of-of _any_ type of confrontation in which _you know_ you can't manipulate."

Amy sniffed, trying to keep herself composed as her ex fiancé continued on after a deep breath.

"I can't believe I used to be so blind. I can't _believe_ I never noticed how _selfish _you were." His tone was rising, his voice harsher. "You would never just do things because they're right. You'd only do them if you had to, or-or if you _got_ something out of it –"

She felt herself detonate then, her pride getting the best of her. "Oh, and this coming from the man who robbed the place he worked?"

Stuart snapped back. "Now that was _Jamie's_ idea, not mine!"

"You _still_ went through with it–!"

"_Because I wanted to make you happy_!"

Stuart had risen from his seat and now towered above Amy, who gaped at him. Rarely in their relationship had Stuart so much as screamed over her, and never without apologizing for it at some time. She had expected herself to be scared, to cower away, but instead she was forced into a stupor. Never had she seen Stuart Bradley so enraged, to the point where his face had reddened and that a vein in his neck had popped out. He was never this livid – and never so much, in fact, that he'd have had to take a moment to calm himself down just enough to unclench his fists.

Stuart gradually lowered himself to his seat, clutching onto the arms of it again. Amy continued to gawk at him, though in a gloomy way, even though he refused to look back at her. He sighed, folding his hands, watching his fingers intertwine.

"And this is why you and I never worked out."

* * *

Luckily for them, most of Jamie's neighbors happened to be giving out treats this year. There were so many lit up windows, in fact, that Jack and Daisy had managed to fill almost half of their large bags before Stacy had even arrived.

"Oh, wow!" The blonde twelve year old awed at the two children. "How'd you get all that? I only managed to get about a quarter-way!" She held up her dark purple pillow case, poking the side. "And that's from three different streets!"

Jack giggled. "Uncle Jamie's got really nice neighbors!" he sauntered with a high chin, puffing out his chest. "And I don't mean to brag," he grinned goofily. "But I've got _quite_ the way with the old ladies with poodles."

While Stacy mocked a much more impressed reaction than she actually had, high-fiving the young kid, Cathy chuckled, leaning to Jamie.

"Wonder who he gets _that_ from." She whispered, winking.

It was Jamie's turn to chuckle this time. "Ability to impress? Dashing good looks? No idea." He winked back. "Ah, the mysteries of genetics!"

She laughed louder, and he grinned cheekily. The three kids ahead of them glanced back in question, but the two adults merely shook their heads.

"Uncle Jamie!" Daisy squeaked. "Can we go back to that girl Hannah and her husband? With the matching cardigans?"

"Oh yeah!" Jack's eye widened. "The ones who gave us the cookies? I think their daughter Susie might even be in my class!"

Jamie smiled at the two, shrugging his shoulders. "What the heck." He said. "But we have to finish the other flats first. We can pretend we forgot it was the same flat we'd already visited, and then toddle about until they offer us more." He smiled proudly, adjusting his coat.

"Oh!" Cathy piped in. "We can pretend to be new foreign neighbors!" Jamie lifted a brow at her and gave her a look, but grinned nonetheless.

"No, seriously!" Cathy continued excitedly, trying hard not to laugh, but keeping a smile on her face. "We can wear mustaches and speak in accents – everything!" she pat his arm enthusiastically, biting her lip to stifle some of her childish giggling. Jamie, on the other hand, couldn't help himself and laughed loudly, hugging Cathy to his side.

Jack and Daisy seemed all for it.

"Yeah!" Daisy bounced. "Uncle Jamie, can we please?"

"That'd be _hilarious_!" Stacy clutched her stomach, laughing.

"It could complete my costume!" Jack smiled toothily. Cathy and Jamie simply laughed again, and Cathy had to rest her head on her boyfriend's shoulder to calm herself down while he watched her with a smile. Jack pouted at them, but it vanished quickly as Daisy eagerly yanked Stacy's sleeve, begging her to take them to the next level of the building so they could complete their little route. Cathy went to follow the trio, before she saw that Jamie was still in his spot, his hands on his hips and a surprised grin on his face.

He shook his head with a small chuckle. "I cannot believe…" Cathy mimicked him and put her hands on her hips, giving him a confused look.

"Cathy, my _goody-goody_ _girlfriend_, actually suggested that we _lie_ to a sweet married couple that has done us no harm." He shook his head again in mock-disbelief. "I'm still in shock, is all." Cathy raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes, walking up to Jamie with a cheeky smile.

"Oh, _shut it_," she poked his stomach_._ "Besides, it's just cookies." Jamie put a hand to his stomach with another mildly shocked smile.

Cathy continued, lowering her voice and raising a hand by her mouth, as if she was gossiping. "Besides, did you _see_ their wallpaper? It's harm enough. I mean, I'm sorry; they're nice people, but their choice of interior design – Not so much."

Jamie laughed, squeezing his girlfriend to his side again. Cathy laughed a little to, shaking her head. "Okay, _obviously_ I'm kidding. Their wallpaper was actually quite lovely."

"It was, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, we'll have to ask where they got it."

Jamie ignored the light cramp in his mouth, but he found it near impossible to drop his smile. Cathy saw him watching her and winked playfully.

"But even so, I _must_ say, Ms. Davies." Jamie commented, quietly enough for only her to hear. "You are being _rather_ devious today."

Cathy giggled. "_Thank_ _you_, Mr. Bradley." She whispered, chuckling again as she placed a warm hand on the side of his face, pulling him in for a kiss. When they separated, she was still smiling. "Coming from you, that's _quite_ the compliment."

Jamie linked his and Cathy's arms and put his hands in his pocket for warmth. She placed a gloved hand on his arm and smiled at her feet with a blush, as if all her brashness had gone. She could feel him still looking at her, and when she looked up, his smile grew. She stared at his eyes and then quickly glanced down at his lips, a small smile still on her face. And when she looked him back in the eyes she couldn't help herself – she leaned forward, first touching his nose with her own redder one, which made them both chuckle softly. He poked her nose with his own, again as she had, and then kissed it, grinning widely when she hummed to herself with a smile.

"I love you." She said softly. It was such a soft comment that it sounded more like a sigh than anything. Her eyes fluttered half-closed just as he chuckled another time. She leaned in close enough for their lips to brush each other's.

"Of course you do." He smiled. They grew even closer to one another, and after a small pause he closed his eyes, only a second before their lips connected.

"Love you, too."

* * *

Amy stared at her lap with large sad eyes. She was taking slow breaths, which made up the only sound in the room for a while. Stuart was leaned forward, his head down and his eyes closed, and his folded hands on his forehead. After another second, he adjusted the placement of his hands a little. He then spoke quietly.

"I know I'm being a bit ruthless," he admitted, focusing hard on each word. "But –"

"But you're right." Amy interrupted. She stared right at him, though he was still looking down. She shook her head a little, her eyes still red. "Absolutely right."

She whispered the last part, and shook her head very slightly again. She watched him for a while, before sharply looking down, bashfully. She picked at her finger nail a little, just to occupy herself.

"And… I'm sorry about what I said about Leanne." She continued, calming her tone and wringing her hands twice. "And… just with _everything_ I've said; everything about you two and your engagement." She stopped for a split second and watched Stuart's reaction. He was still leaning forward, his hands still folded, though they were now in front of his mouth, and his head was raised. He stared at the coffee table blankly. Amy took in quick breath and swallowed.

"And I _know_ I'm just so upset by it, when I know that it's _terrible_ of me to be." She added quickly. She paused again with another breath, wringing her hands a third time, looking down briefly at her fingers. She wasn't sure of what to say next, so the pair sat in silence for a moment. Stuart took in a large breath himself, before abruptly leaning back, and finally looking at Amy again. He sighed, and scratched the back of his neck.

"Yeah…" he said simply. His hand rested on his neck for a while before it slid down to his side. He closed his eyes again with another breath, just to fill the gap. When he opened them again, he found Amy looking at him, though her eyes darted away when he caught her eye. She swallowed, still looking at her fingers, and whispered.

"I just can't take it anymore, Stu." She shook her head. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm worked up, I'm exhausted, I cry for no reason. And in just tonight I've downed so much alcohol that I'm starting to forget how many fingers I have." Stuart chuckled a little and she looked at him with a small sad smile. After a second he decided to change the subject.

"Amy," Stuart started. "I really think… You need to at _least_ talk to Jack." His hands were unfolded now and his palms faced upward in a pleading way. "I think it would help you – you may just have a guilty conscience.

"I could break it to Daisy, but you _need_ to tell Jack about what things will be like now."

Amy listened to him with despair in her eyes. He waited for her reaction, but nothing changed from regular pout as if she were trying not to cry. The only sign of acknowledgment was when she shook her head with every word Stuart said to her. "Please –" he begged.

After that she must've gave in. Her eyes brimmed with tears and she covered her mouth with her trembling hand, sobbing once, which shook her shoulders.

And Stuart did something he hadn't done in a while. Sure, he was the hugging type, but he really only did something like this for comforting Leanne. But regardless, he brought himself to the couch across from him and put one arm around Amy, who sobbed into his shirt. He gave her a moment, reaching onto a side table for a tissue. When she separated from him, accepting the tissue and drying her eyes, Stuart asked again.

"Will you please, _please_," he put his hands together, "Talk to your son?"

What followed next was one of the longest silences in Amy's visit. She just stared at him. And when he watched her eyes, it was as if he could actually see the internal struggle. She'd lift her eyebrows a little every so often and open her mouth as if to say yes. But the next moment it was gone, and her eyes would just fall again, and her mouth droop. He hung on to every look, every expression change, every movement, _begging_ with her to just accept. And after a sold half-minute she let out a quiet, shuttering breath, reaching a decision.

"I…" She said in a whisper, "H-Have to go."

She shakily rose from the couch, gliding across the room to the door. Stuart made a small movement, as if he were going to follow her, but for some reason he found himself stuck to the couch with just a blank face. He was not chasing her, but choosing to stay in place, where he knew exactly what would happen. He was afraid of being uncertain about everything again.

Amy paused with her hand wrapped around the door knob. She flexed her fingers, as if to let go, but continued looking forward. She was going to look fully over her shoulder – but instead she settled somewhere in between, afraid to look at him, though he wasn't at her.

Amy opened her mouth, prepared for a whisper, but could only managed to mouth the words _I'm sorry_. She had her thumb over the call button on her cell phone, right under the name _Tyler._ She gripped the knob tighter, finding the strength to turn it. She turned her head back, pushing the door open only a crack. Amy took in a deep steady breath and sniffed silently, not catching the tears down her cheek, and looking straight ahead with her chin raised a little.

"We've changed." She whispered. "Haven't we?"

Silence. Stuart stared fixedly ahead of him, away from Amy, but did not say a word.

_Click._

* * *

"Gee, will you two lovebirds postpone the spit swap and hurry it up?" Stacy commented with a laugh, walking up to the kissing couple. They separated, slightly out of breath and turning to Stacy in unison. "Jack, Daisy and I already hit two flats below waiting for you guys."

The two of them hadn't even noticed, and they cleared their throats, separating from their clasp on each other. Cathy smoothed her hair as Jamie adjusted his pea coat sheepishly.

"Y-Yeah, of course." Cathy chuckled awkwardly. "Be right there."

Stacy folded her arms, chuckling to herself and shaking her head, walking off towards the kids who were about to knock on their fourth door since Cathy and Jamie's little break. Cathy cleared her throat again as Stacy disappeared, turning to Jamie and rubbing her arm.

"So…" she trailed off looking at her boot. Jamie blew some air out of his mouth. "So…"

The two sat in silence before giggling, which gradually turned into a quiet laughter. Cathy hugged her boyfriend around the neck, laughing into his shoulder.

"We got caught!" she whispered through her giggles. Jamie simply laughed in response, watching her double over. When she had calmed enough to walk, the pair followed after the children, catching up with them, but trailing a little behind.

They smiled at the adults at every door, Jamie shaking their hand while they welcome him to the building, followed by them dropping a few pieces of candy into each child's bag. Normally the people at the door would just marvel at the children's costumes (Stacy's Rock Star costume received a lot of praise) and smile at them. But when they reached one particular flat, decorated with orange flowers on the door, an elderly woman answered, grinning politely.

"Oh, hello there!" the woman smiled individually at each of the kids. "And what lovely costumes!" As she said this, she reached for an orange bowl on a tattered looking table, holding it out to the children. Jack and Daisy immediately reached for three a piece, but Cathy piped in.

"Only one, you lot!" she said, sticking out a hand. The two younger children pouted and dropped two of their pieces back into the bowl, though Jamie could've sworn the woman gave them all and extra piece with a wink. The lady turned her attention to Cathy and Jamie, glancing down at their hands, and then smiling sweetly at the couple. "Oh, aren't you two just adorable!"

Cathy saw that Jamie had intertwined their fingers, and that she had been rubbing his arm up and down for a while now. She blushed at him and he grinned goofily in response.

"Yes _she_ is." He said, kissing her cheek. She rolled her eyes as he did so.

"You're so cheesy." She laughed, holding his face in her hand and kissing him sweetly, to which he replied. "S'my specialty."

The younger two of the kids "Ewwww"'d next to them.

"That's gross!" Daisy whined.

Jack stuck out his tongue disgustedly. "Yuck!"

Jamie, in response, stuck his own tongue out at them, hugging Cathy to him. The elderly lady chuckled, her hand on her stomach and her head tilted back. (Or, as Jamie called it, "old people laughter") She waved a hand. "Like I said, _adorable_!" she laughed again. "And what adorable kids!"

It took Cathy and Jamie only a split second to process the assumption the woman had made, and when they had, the two's cheeks grew red, though not at all from the cold. They sputtered over one another, denying that Jack and Daisy were theirs, shaking their heads.

"Oh, no –"

"Kids are _way_ down the road–"

"_Way_ down–"

"I mean, we're not even married yet!"

Jamie looked at Cathy as she said this, and she looked back at him, chuckling awkwardly. They shared a quick look, while the old woman chuckled again.

"Oh, good heavens!" she laughed. "I do apologize. Oh, and dear, welcome to the building." She smiled again, as if the previous moment hadn't happened. She looked down at the kids "Have a nice night, you three! Happy Halloween! Love the costumes!"

The children chorused a "Happy Halloween!" in response and hopped to the next door just as the lady closed hers. Jamie and Cathy stood in their place, gaping at the flowers hanging from the door. Cathy snapped out of it first, grabbing hold of Jamie's arm again, and yanking him with her to the next door so the kids could knock.

"C'mon, Jamie!" she laughed, pulling him with her. And though his feet followed, he still felt as though he were in a daze.

When the lady had made that comment, he was embarrassed at first – but he had also allowed his mind to wander a little. He had imagined, for a split second, the two of them lying naked in bed, snuggled against each other. He would be awoken from his half-sleeping state by a cry, and he'd put a robe on and wander into his newborn child's room, hugging him or her to his chest. And when Cathy had mentioned marriage, a white dress had fluttered across his eyelids, twirling around a suit of black as two faceless people danced in the middle of a large hall.

And so, even though he wasn't entirely out of the clouds, he still managed to follow the children around and greet the people at each door, even if he couldn't remove the large grin from his face. Cathy had given him questionable looks a few times, but he'd just look back at her, smiling wider and toothier, just as the next door would open.

Soon enough, Jack, Daisy, and Stacy's bags had been filled, and the group made their way back to Jamie's apartment. Jack and Daisy had skipped off in front of them, dragging Stacy with them, animatedly chatting with her about all their candy and treats.

Cathy had suggested they chase after them, but he had held her back, linking their arms again. When she asked him why, he simply kissed her, not saying a single word. She gave him a puzzled smile, and he returned it with that same goofy grin that just made her laugh uncontrollably at its adorableness.

"Oh gosh!" she gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. "Will you stop smiling like that? It's making me giggle." She kissed his cheek, which only made him smile wider and her chuckle again.

"Doesn't it hurt, smiling like that?"

Jamie shrugged. "I dunno." He said simply. Cathy gave him a strange look, giggling again.

"Well okay then."

"Hey Cathy?"

"Yes, Jamie?"

"Do you like jewelry?" he asked, still with a small smile. Cathy considered his question, shrugging.

"Well, if you think that you _have_ to get me jewelry at some point, you don't _have_to." She gave him a small smile. "You don't have to give me anything but your love."

Jamie chuckled. "Who's the cheesy one now?"

Cathy laughed as well, pulling him into a kiss. She was about to separate, when he stopped them in their tracks. He held her face in his gloved hand, deepening the kiss, and using his other to pull her closer. Cathy seemed taken aback, holding onto his shoulders, before lightly pushing away.

"Gee, Bradley, some of us need to breath." She gasped, smirking a little.

Jamie only grinned in response, kissing her quickly again. He moved to kiss her cheek, and Cathy looked over to see that they were almost at Jamie's door. Just as he went to kiss her cheek again, Cathy pat his arm. "Okay, hun, just a little bit more, we're almost there." She laughed.

Jamie, still holding both her hands, brought her quickly outside his door. Cathy couldn't help his smiley face and his lack of words, and put her hands on his chest. "Okay, seriously, what is _up_ with you?"

Jamie's smile fell a little – it actually _was_ starting to hurt now – and brought her closer to him. She watched him with half-lidded eyes, giving him her own small smile. Jamie kissed her forehead. "Nothing." He said. "I just love you. A lot."

Cathy hummed a small chuckle. "I love you too, hun." She kissed him lightly on the lips and he, unsurprisingly to her, grinned into it.

But it was because now he was _imagining_ them kissing. At the park, on a bench. In a grocery store, with their son or daughter bouncing in the cart. In their house, passionate in bed. And in front of their families, dressed in their best. It made his heart flutter. And thinking about his heart fluttering made his heart flutter more.

If he had had any idea what these wandering thoughts would have helped him realize, and what they would have led to him _doing_, he would've hugged that old lady right then and there.

They separated and Cathy hummed again, her eyes still closed. "Well that was particularly passionate." She commented with a smirk, opening them now. Jamie's cheeks grew red in embarrassment. He must've wandered off in his own thoughts again. "S-Sorry…" he mumbled, scratching the back of his neck.

Cathy shook her head, kissing his nose. "I'm not complaining." she smiled. Jamie found himself staring at her eyes, and then at her nose, closely followed by her lips. She seemed to not have noticed, and she starting saying something about whether Amy was still here or not.

But, even so, Jamie wasn't listening. He was, once again, losing himself in his own thoughts. Putting up a Christmas tree, making tea, baking brownies. He and his family getting together to open presents, the shock and excitement on Cathy's face as she opened hers, thanking him with a kiss. And, just being him, he thought of pushing Cathy lightly against a wall and snogging her senseless, before pulling her to bed.

But his favorite thoughts had to be a tie between the kissing and dancing, with Cathy dressed in white, her finger reflecting off the ceiling lights. Or, perhaps it was the one where he'd hold his newborn child in his arms, lowering himself to a rocking chair and peeking through the blankets to see his child's face under no more than the lighting of an animal decorated table lap. Both included Cathy, who would either laugh at his inability to dance gracefully as he purposely made himself look like a fool to get a grin out of her, or pad up behind him in a fluffy robe like his, rubbing his shoulders before taking the baby from him.

He managed to, through his thoughts, see Cathy's lips moving, though he only caught part of what she was saying.

"… – here then I'm not sure if we should go in or not."

Jamie smiled again, and it took her a second to look back at him from her pointing at his door. She gave him a look for a while, but he continued to smile at her.

"Jamie?" she asked softly, snickering a little. "You alright? Did you hear what I sa–"

Jamie suddenly took her face in his hand, pulling her towards him and into a kiss. She was shocked for a moment, but went with it regardless, moving her hands to his shoulders. He brought his hand to her waist and the other to her back, and she moved closer so there were few gaps between them. For only a few seconds, they separated for air, in which Cathy managed to gasp. "J-Jamie?"

For some odd reason, hearing her voice made him want to grin like an idiot and squeal like a school boy, all while snogging her like a husband would his wife. "I love you so much." He replied, looking her right in the eye. She accomplished in getting out a full "I love you too." before Jamie connected their mouths again.

Their lips moved in unison, and Jamie continued to deepen the kiss in whatever way he could. Cathy did the same, managing quick breaths out of her nose while moving her hand to his neck and bringing his lips closer to hers. He opened his mouth a little, grazing across her bottom lip with his teeth. She moaned lightly as he pulled her lip slightly into his own mouth, biting softly. She parted her lips and he massaged her tongue with his own. She timidly brushed her tongue against his, and he groaned softly, continuously pulling her closer.

This continued for a short while, but Jamie knew his own limits. By the time they had broken the kiss his hand was tangled in her hair, the other on her waist, and hers on the side of his face and in his own hair. They held each other for a moment, panting lightly. He was looking at her, while she was looking more near his neck area, with droopy eyes.

"I wasn't… expecting that." She gasped a laugh, placing a hand on her chest. "Phew!"

"Yeah…" Jamie laughed himself. His eyes were trailing to her neck, and he had to stop himself from getting too eager. Luckily for him, Cathy just laughed some more and grinned at him, kissing his cheek, rather than making some big deal out of it, or questioning _why_ he had done that. Because he wasn't entirely sure he'd even be able to answer such a question. Instead she blushed deep crimson, looking down at her feet, before looking back at him and kissing his lips softly.

"Well," she said, smoothing her jacket. "I think it's about time we headed inside, yeah? Unless you have some more snogging on the mind." She winked, playing with the long blue knitted scarf hanging loosely around his neck, which in turn pulled his head to hers, causing his lips to brush her forehead, making her chuckle. He bit his lip, closing his eyes for a moment to compose himself, before smirking.

"Well, in that case." You could practically hear the grin in his voice as he pulled her back to him. She squeaked and then chuckled, wrapping her arms around his neck. He continued to smirk against her lips, and when she shifted to deepen their kiss, he made the risky move of pinching her bottom affectionately. Instead of slapping him, or yelling and calling him a jerk, she just giggled, turning them around so her back was against a large pillar, dragging him closer so he could pin her there.

Goddamn he was going to put a ring on this girl's finger.

* * *

When they _had_ finally gone inside, Jamie ruffled his already untidy hair. They were_both_ grinning goofily this time with their hands glued together as they gave each other small pecks on their way into the flat. But just as Jamie had turned to greet his brother, he was met with Stuart staring down at the coffee table with Leanne rubbing his arm comfortingly.

"What's happened?"

Stuart looked back at him after a second, and without saying word, held up Amy's straw hat with a sad smile.

Jamie and Cathy had spent the next twenty minutes comforting him in whatever way they could, though he didn't show any signs of really caring all that much. In fact, he admitted that he felt as if a weight were lifted from his shoulders.

"A cowgirl clad, blonde headed weight." He chuckled. "But I'm fine now. Just in a bit o' shock. Had Stacy bring Jack and Daisy to your room to watch a movie, hope you don't mind." He shrugged a shoulder apologetically.

Jamie shook his head. "Don't think anything of it." He said, smiling a little himself. "I hope they pick Arthur Christmas. It's a holiday one, but it's still gold." Stuart laughed a lot at this, and watching him laugh made Leanne and Jamie laugh too. Cathy grinned, hugging Jamie's arm and pecking his cheek. He slung an arm around her, and they both smiled at each other before laughing together.

And the "party" continued on. Stuart and Jamie actually spent a good amount of time exchanging old memories of their past Halloween costumes. But Jamie kept glancing over at Cathy who was chatting with Leanne. This time Leanne was talking about something that, he assumed, was related to work. Cathy nodded every so often, looking very focused on her words. Jamie grinned, watching her eyebrows furrow right before she asked a question. It was one of the more adorable looks of Jamie's favorites. He wasn't sure if he liked her angry look, her half-lidded eyes, or her lip-biting cheeky look better.

He then felt someone poke his cheek, and he scrunched his nose up in his _own_look of mild annoyance. "Oi!" He looked over a Stuart, who raised his eyebrows and gave him a small smirk. "Distracted, are we?"

Jamie scoffed, folding his arms. "You don't need to know." He huffed stubbornly. Stuart chuckled. "So it's Cathy then? You can't even say her _name_ without smiling."

Jamie took this as a challenge and arched an eyebrow, clearing his throat. "Cathy." He said clearly. And sure enough, his mouth turned into a small smile against his will. "Dammit!"

"Told you."

"Well how'd you know it was Cathy? _Goddammit_!"

"I didn't. 'Till now."

"Oh my God, you jedi."

Stuart laughed again, folding his own arms. "You love her, don't you?" he asked, watching his younger brother. Jamie tightening his arms with a deep blush.

"Shut up."

"Ooooh, my brother's in loooove –"

"So are you!"

Stuart smiled, shrugging. "True," he replied, "true. Only _I_ actually did something about it." He rose from the couch, patting his brother's shoulder, who stared ahead of him with a suddenly far-off look.

"Well," he announced, turning to Leanne, "we best be off then." Leanne smiled, getting up from her chair, kissing Stuart's cheek. He grabbed her wrist before she could pull away, making her kiss his lips. She smiled as they separated and spoke softly. "I'll go get the kids then. Last I checked Daisy had fallen asleep."

They had all said their goodbyes after that, Stuart carrying his dozing kids in his arms as Leanne closed the door behind them. The flat grew quiet. Jamie and Cathy filled the silence with some talking, followed by a quick viewing of their new favorite holiday movie – Arthur Christmas.

After the movie had ended, Cathy sighed in contentment, snuggling into Jamie's side. "You know," she said. "Now that everyone's gone, we have a little privacy." She traced a finger along Jamie's chest and he smirked, playing with her hair before pushing it out of her face. "How about a little post-movie snogging, yeah?" She kissed his jaw, and his smirked widened, tilting her chin up so he could kiss her mouth.

"And what's with all the snogging today?"

"You're the one who decided to practically suffocate me with your mouth."

"You didn't seem to mind it –"

"–I didn't."

"–_Aaand_ you were the one who made me pin you to the wall."

Cathy put her hands on her hips. "Now, see, _you_ didn't have to go through with that." Jamie chuckled, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her close. "Oh, is that right?" he muttered.

"Yeah." Cathy smirked, closing the gap between their mouths.

After some enjoyable snogging and cuddling, the couple remained on the couch until about 9:30. Cathy was dozing off in Jamie's arms, before she glanced tiredly at the clock, suddenly sitting up.

"What's wrong?" Jamie asked softly, opening one eye.

"It's late." Cathy replied, frowning. "I should let you sleep."

"I'm fine," Jamie smiled, pulling her by her waist and back to his chest. "As long as you're next to me."

Cathy chuckled, giving him a quick kiss. "But really," she said, rubbing up his arm and up to his shoulder, "I should go." She rose from the couch and headed towards Jamie's bedroom, laughing as Jamie stretched out his hands, grabbing at the air.

"Nooo," he whined. "Come back."

"I will, I promise." Cathy winked, walking into the other room. Jamie leaned back, placing his hands behind his head. He stared at the ceiling, finding himself eagerly awaiting his girlfriend's return.

And after a short while, Cathy padded in from the next room, pulling on her jacket and mittens and jingling his keys in his direction. Jamie gave her a curious look, and was about to ask why she was rushing like that, before she said. "Hey, will you be able to drive me, or should I have Emma pick me up or something?"

"Wait, no!" Jamie jumped a little on the couch, his entire expression pouty. He realized that he had sort of shouted that, and blushed a little. "I mean, it's just –" He cut himself off and started again. "You-You want to leave so soon?" he asked, trying unsuccessfully to sound casual. He rose from the couch just as she went to grab his jacket.

"Wait! Why don't we…" He looked frantically around the living room, pivoting on his heel. Cathy watched him, amused, but equally as confused, before he dashed for the kitchen. She couldn't see what he was doing in there, but he was making quite a ruckus.

After ruffling around in there for a while, Jamie emerged from the kitchen clutching a small red box with a mildly desperate look. "Why don't we make brownies or somethin' first?" he shrugged a shoulder hopefully and smiled awkwardly.

Cathy chuckled, shaking her head. "It's getting late." She said. "Shouldn't I be leaving now anyway?"

Jamie frowned, placing the box on a nearby table, and folding his arms. He dragged himself like a child over to her. "Fine then." He said, shrugging. "You don't like me anymore, that's cool."

Cathy laughed. "No it's just –"

"If you don't want to hang out with me anymore, then fine, we'll just go."

Cathy laughed and put her hands on Jamie's chest, trailing to his shoulders and grinning up at him. "Look, Jamie, I have stuff I gotta do, _working_ stuff." She smiled and poked his forehead. "Stuff that'd wrack your brain." She held his face and brought it to her lips, kissing right where she'd poked him and he pouted at her like a stubborn child. "No offense."

"Yeah, but that's _way_ too much for one person, that's crazy." He commented. Cathy sighed with a smile, kissing his cheek. "Shouldn't I be leaving now?" she repeated.

Jamie gave her a small smile, pulling her closer to his chest, and placing a hand on her back. "_You're_ crazy."

She hummed a small chuckle, smiling down at her shoes. "I know." She said quietly, flexing her foot up. Jamie watched her, and though his smile grew smaller, it stayed in place. He knew she knew he was looking at her, and she tried hard not to look back up. But she had to when Jamie took his first two fingers and very delicately lifted her chin, only a little, so she was at least able to look in his eyes, though she still had to glance as far up as possible to do so.

"_You're so beautiful_." Jamie said simply. His small smile grew only a little, but enough that it formed a little lopsided grin in her direction. He lightly brushed his thumb across her chin and she grinned a little herself, looking down, then glancing at him again, and then back down at her feet with a small blush.

Jamie's mouth cramped and his smile fell. He shook his head, looking down himself for a quick moment, with a small chuckle. He pulled her impossibly closer to him, and she just had to look at him now, as their noses were practically touching again. Her eyes were half-lidded and she was smiling a little bigger than before. She raised her eyebrows in question.

"You're so _different_ from anyone else I've ever been with."

It was as if she had realized just how close they were now, and her voice quieted. She suddenly felt self-conscious and, rather than look him in the eye, glanced sheepishly at his slightly-parted lips.

"Shouldn't I be leaving now?" She repeated the question once again, and so quietly that Jamie had to strain to hear her. His own eyes fell half-lidded, and his lips brushed her nose as he whispered back his replied.

"Stay the night."

Cathy's eyes closed a little more, as she sighed out, a little above a whisper. "Jamie, I can't."

"Yes you can." He moved his hand up her back, running his thumb up and down before wrapping some of her hair around his first finger like a ring. Cathy's eyes were completely closed now, and she tilted her head up more so Jamie's mouth could move closer to her own.

"No…" she whispered. It was an unconvincing protest, and she moved her hand to his shoulder, and the other to the side of his face. "I…"

Jamie's eyes closed too, and he replied in the quietest whisper he could muster. "Please say yes."

Not even awaiting a response, Jamie closed the gap between their lips, pulling Cathy completely to him in a soft kiss. She moved her hand to the back of his head and brought him closer to her, running her fingers through his hair as she tilted her head a little, deepening the kiss. She could feel Jamie suddenly smiling against her mouth, and she smiled back. And when she went to tilt her head again, their noses brushed a little, and Jamie chuckled before completely separating from the kiss. Cathy gave him a confused smile as he loosened his hold on her, laughing, before pulling her to him once more in a hug.

He snickered in her shoulder. "Sorry, sorry." He apologized. "Really sorry about that." Cathy laughed herself, holding his arms. "Yeah, what happened, hun?"

"Nothing, nothing." Jamie laughed, moving his hands to her waist and kissing her forehead. He flicked his nose. "I just gotta big schnozz is all." Cathy laughed at this, kissing it. "Well I think it's cute." She smiled.

Of course, despite what he said, it wasn't just nothing. It was something. A_ level__ten_ something. He was still processing the conclusion he had come to earlier that night. But even so, he was doubting. It wasn't Cathy, or making that commitment to her. It was himself he doubted. The "What Ifs" were starting to get to him. What if she wasn't ready? What if she decided they weren't right?

And that's why, when she said she was ready to go, he begged her to stay. He knew she wasn't actually walking away – he just couldn't help feel like she was. And when he held her in his arms, when she told him she couldn't stay…

But she kissed him anyway. She's not one to just up and leave. She cares for him just as deeply as he does her. And when she kisses him, touches him, takes his breath away, it reminds him that she is his and no one else's and that she would be more than willing to make the commitment.

Then why did he feel like shaking?

He clasped her hand in his and kissed the back of hers. She giggled at him and kissed his cheek. He kissed her nose, and then moved again to her lips.

"Just nothing." He muttered against her lips. When they separated, they stared at one another with large smiles before laughing simultaneously. Cathy kissed him quickly, and then once more, holding on a little longer. But Jamie broke this kiss again, hugging her to him with enough space so they could look each other in the eye.

"So?" he asked. Cathy raised an eye brow at him, separating and beginning towards the kitchen. "So what –?"

Jamie took a step towards her, reaching out and taking her hand in his own, stopping her in her tracks. He trailed his thumb over her fourth finger, tracing it. She waited or him to say something, and when he didn't, she sighed, smiling, and turned to him.

"Can I help you?"

"Are you going to stay over tonight?"

Cathy chuckled. "Well someone's persistent." Jamie laughed too, but pulled her softly to him, still holding her hand in his, swinging their arms.

"Answer?" he pried, raising an eyebrow. She smiled, chuckling again.

"Jamie, I have stuff to do –"

"_Answer_?" he repeated, smiling wider. He knew she was giving in, she just didn't want to admit to it. Her smile grew as well, but she shook her head. It wasn't a no, more like a "You're-A-Child" kind of reaction. His smile fell, but he continued to raise his eyebrows at her expectantly. "C'mon, Cathy." He pleaded.

Cathy sighed, looking down at their hands. She intertwined their fingers and put her thumb up against his, as they moved and pressed them together in unison. She looked back into his pleading eyes, and sighed again, putting their foreheads together.

"Yes."

Jamie grinned goofily, softly kissing her. But it was Cathy who broke this kiss this time, grabbing hold of both his hands and leading him into the kitchen. Once there, she darted out for a quick second, coming back with a small red box.

"Now, how about those brownies you promised me?"

Jamie laughed, and shortly after Cathy joined in. The two spent part of the night dancing around each other in the kitchen to some music on Jamie's phone, baking the most delicious brownies they could. And, when the brownies were baking, the two would pass the time by cuddling on the couch, watching TV. And sometimes… Not watching TV. Nothing bad – Just holding one another in their arms, smiling, pulling each other closer until their noses touched, and –

Well, now – I shouldn't have to tell you _everything_.


	12. Halloween Part IV

_Context: The reception of Stuart and Leanne's wedding. Jamie and Cathy have been engaged for about six months now._

_(Written by Gina)_

* * *

Leaves Tend to Change in the Autumn (Halloween) - Part IV (Epilogue)

The glittering reception hall was filled with sounds of chinking glasses, pleasant chatter, and whatever other form of celebratory gestures Jamie had left out. He'd rather stray behind, grabbing a few drinks at the bar, trying his very hardest to get enough cracks at Stuart into conversation as possible – normal wedding behavior for him. He had been feeling nostalgic that morning, scrapping any idea of a traditional suit and throwing on his old purple and khaki paisley one instead – And it was these spontaneous changes in his mood and choice that sent Cathy scampering about more than anything.

She wanted to try her best to match whatever dress she wore with his suit and tie choice. She was relieved the night before when Jamie had assured her that he was 100% certain he was going to go with the regular black suit they had picked, as she had a very classy, elegant knee-length dress she had been meaning to wear.

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"I am _completely _sure!" Jamie chuckled; Cathy's back was to him, and he pulled her closer to him by her arms.

"Are you _sure_?" Cathy pressed on, ignoring the kisses to her temple. "If you think I'm running around trying to match you twenty minutes before we're supposed to be there, then you're mistaken."

Jamie smiled with a small chuckle, rubbing up his fiancée's arms. "Catherine Brad – _Davies_, I am 100% –" he raised a finger. "_600%_ sure that you will _not_have to be scampering about right before Leanne and Stu's wedding."

Which, of course, ensured that he _wasn't_, and that she _would_.

But she made the silly mistake of actually trusting her fiancé's fashion decisions, and found herself, as she should've predicted, doing exactly as he promised she wouldn't. But it didn't take long, and they even had a few moments to spare beforehand, and Cathy thought the dress they ended up purchasing was much cuter. (She had to continue assuring Jamie that it was all fine with her, as he had been feeling quite guilty.)

As he took a sip from his glass he found himself skimming the guests to find his blonde headed wife-to-be, putting a hand in his pocket. She had just walked up to Leanne who had her arm linked with Stuart's, and she touched a hand politely to her shoulder, catching her attention. Leanne laughed in greeting, smiling widely as she started excitedly chatting with Cathy while trying to gulp down a drink at the same time. Cathy laughed every time Leanne interrupted herself, pivoting to Stuart to confirm something, and then back to continue speaking.

Jamie smiled when Cathy raised her eyebrows, her arms folded, trying her best to follow Leanne's stammering. And he almost let out a laugh when Leanne completely broke off from the conversation to chase down Denise, leaving Cathy bewildered before she doubled over with laughter. He watched her pat Stuart's arm, greeting him with a smile, before heading off towards his mother. She received from Joyce the same greeting she had gotten from her uncle Bob a while earlier – she'd voice a comment from out of the circle of conversation before she was pulled into a warm hug and dragged into the chatter.

Jamie smiled fondly. He tried, very unenthusiastically he'll admit, to avert his attention elsewhere – perhaps to his half-full glass as he vaguely remembered himself being quite thirsty. But he started to give up when Cathy tilted her head in confusion before breaking into giggles as she found the answer. And he gave in completely when he saw her twirling her ring around her finger. There was a foolish smile on his face that he was unaware about until a voice brought him back to his senses.

"You know, the whiskey's pretty good."

Jamie jumped as Bob's hand stretched behind him to reach for a glass of water he had apparently ordered. Jamie cleared his throat, scratching his neck. But as Bob watched him, taking a slow sip, he felt himself grow uncomfortable, adjusting his collar.

"Uh, yeah… I, well, I'm not much of a whiskey drinker." He chuckled short and awkwardly, lifting his glass to display it. Bob drank the rest of his, chuckling to himself with a small smile and placing the glass on the bar.

"Yeah, neither am I. Not anymore, anyway." He smiled warmly. "I guess the appeal has gone."

Jamie looked down at his own drink, noticing that it now only had one small sip in it, as he must've downed one long drink without realizing. He had an urge to nervously gulp the last of it and order about five more, but he digressed. He suddenly remembered Bob's comment again, and laughed uneasily, choosing to swirl the remnants of his drink around in his glass rather than face his former boss.

Bob watched him for a second before chuckling shortly again, more to himself than before. Jamie hadn't been listening very intently, but he unclearly heard Bob order him another drink, and he quickly and gratefully shot back his final sip, accepting the new glass, before downing that in one gulp as well. He huffed a deep breath, placing both glasses back on the bar a little more harshly than he had tried to. Bob looked impressed for a moment, before laughing, which startled the young man next to him who jumped again. He clapped Jamie on the back.

"Take it easy there, son!" Bob grinned again, cheerily. "You act like I've got you by gun point!"

Jamie swallowed, folding his hands in front of him and nodding with a very forced grin. Bob clapped his back again, and he stumbled a little, before grinning more convincingly. He knew he deserved a few cracks in his direction, especially after his particular ones at Stuart that made Bob fold his arms in his direction. Bob didn't say anything else, but kept a hand on Jamie's shoulder taking a sip from a new glass of water. To be honest, he preferred it more when he was making cracks.

Fortunately for him, Cathy was almost directly in front of him, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She usually did this when she was learning something new, so he assumed she must be talking to Stuart. In fact, she was joined with Denise and Rodney as well, who all seemed to be listening to some anecdote of sorts. He smiled, tilting his head a tiny bit. She had a little sauce, maybe from the pasta, on her lip, and he chuckled internally. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at someone with a wave. When she went to turn back, however, she saw Jamie watching her, and focused on him, meeting his eyes and grinning widely. He copied her smile and she waved at him. He was in bit of a daze and hadn't noticed at first, but after a small moment he whispered "Oh!" and waved back.

Cathy giggled, fixing her hair again. Jamie recognized it more as a cute, trying-not-to-laugh-to-hard-at-his-goofiness gesture. And sure enough, the familiar blush accompanied it, before she bit her bottom lip, forcing herself to turn back to the conversation. Jamie's smiled lingered on his lips, as he raised another glass to his mouth. But before he took a sip, he remembered that he hadn't ordered another drink, and surely not water. He turned to Bob, confused. The larger man waved a hand at him.

"Oh, don't worry about it." He coughed once. "I paid for it. You looked distracted, thought maybe you were drinking a bit too much."

Jamie gave a small smile in thanks, taking a tiny sip. Bob was watching him again, and he had a feeling he had caught him staring and was now making another judgment on him. Jamie tried again to distract himself, acting as comfortable as he could. Abruptly, however, Bob spoke.

"What's your opinion of Cathy?" he asked. Jamie looked at him, bewildered that he'd even ask him that question. Bob shook his head. "I know what you must be thinking. But be honest with me here, son." He wasn't facing Jamie, but just stared ahead of him. "This isn't some sort of trick question, I'm not looking for you to stumble over your words and forget what air is trying to give me some rehearsed monologue." He waved a hand in the air as he spoke. "Tell me what you think of my niece. Everything."

He might as well have added "unless it makes me want to punch you in the throat." since that's all Jamie could hear. He was still confused as to why Bob would even ask him about Cathy. Obviously if he was willing to commit himself to her for the_rest of his life_ then he must love her _a lot_. He's seen them, there's no way he still thought Jamie was just in it for sex or something.

Now, what occupied the time before Jamie's answer probably only fell into the range of about five seconds – _not even_ – but it felt like an entire lifetime for him. Cathy was stood by herself, glancing around the reception hall. She kept fidgeting with her dress, her strap, but kept her attention on the hall and was biting her lip in focus. She must've given up on the dress and just dropped her hand, playing with her fingers. She seemed a bit off – lost in her own thoughts – and she started to lean a little against the wall. He was about to excuse himself to join her, but she suddenly reached her ring finger of her left hand.

Cathy froze for a second, and her hair fell in front of her eyes, blocking Jamie's view. He once again had the urge to just walk up to her and brush it away from her face, but he was rooted to his spot and just watched. She twisted her hair in her finger, placing it behind her ear and giving Jamie a better view of her. She was biting her lip again, but her eyes looked much different than how he could remember them ever looking. For a moment Jamie filed it in his head as a form of worry, which made his heart sink into his stomach and his mouth droop a little.

But then she looked as if she were thinking. What about, he hadn't the faintest. He couldn't tell if it seemed she was focusing on a question, or if she was just lost in thought. Maybe a bit of both. He wasn't sure how to feel about this. It made him happier, no doubt, but it didn't make him feel _better_. A small, insecure part of his mind was cursing, trying to pry into his skull that it was doubt in her expression, but the other part of him simply turned its back.

And then her mouth moved. The side of her lips turned up a little before falling again. She looked up sharply, glancing around her, before smiling a little and then looking back at her hand. And after a small moment, her entire expression changed entirely, and she was smiling wider, _beaming_ even. She hopped a little on her heel, giggling, before realizing that she was surrounded by people, and then calming herself down and covering her excited laughter and grin with her intertwined fingers.

Part of him, the logical part, knew that in reality all he had done during this time was blink and grin. But he could've sworn with his entire heart that what_really_happened was much different. He had clasped his hands together, spinning on his heel, jumping and grinning even goofier than Cathy had. And he was absolutely convinced, _positive_, that her dress had changed color and that he _had_ put on the tux from earlier. And he was next to her. They were close to each other.

The thought made his smile widen, and he nearly jumped, playing it off by rolling back on his heels once. He was brought back, back to his surroundings, back to present day. He glanced down at his shoe, putting a hand in his pocket, and then directed his attention back to Bob, who luckily hadn't been looking at him.

Maybe Bob's question wasn't about how much he loved her. Maybe it was more about how he _knew_ he did. Now that he thought about it, it was a valid question, considering his difficulty understanding his own thoughts half the time. Bob was helping him, doing him a favor. He owed him, and stored another file away in his mind to repay him in any way he could.

Bob finished off his water then, and when he turned to put the glass on the table, he looked up and saw Jamie watching him with a shy grin. He motioned for him to go on with a half-smile. "Well?"

Jamie smirked and chuckled, placing his own glass on the table, though he didn't let go of it. He just sort of played with it, circling part of the rim with his thumb.

"To be honest, boss." He began in a nonchalant tone. He had some sort of a cross between a smirk and a smile stuck to his face. "*She irritates the hell out of me."

Bob's smile fell from his mouth, and for a moment he just stood in shock. Jamie tilted his head a little, though he didn't look at Bob, who had now turned fully towards him.

"And she never lets me tease her," he continued, "and she's difficult to be with."

Bob folded his arms and glared un-approvingly at the young man, who tried his hardest not to look back at him, despite how nervous he was beginning to feel again. Jamie chuckled a little to himself, looking down at his water and turning the small tumbler in his fingers.

"That's why I wouldn't trade my time with her for anything.*"

Jamie stared down at his glass for another second. His mouth widened to a full smile for half a moment, before resuming its casual smirk as he looked back at Bob. He took a small sip from the glass before placing it on the bar again.

"Excuse me." He half-grinned politely in exit, walking off. Bob watched him leave, completely surprised at first, and unable to do more than just sputter for a small second. But he regained his composure rather quickly, and glanced at Jamie who had gone to find Cathy against the wall.

Annie had placed her hands on his arm and shoulder, startling him. He smiled at her, kissing her forehead, and she grinned in response.

"What's wrong?" she whispered, sweetly. "You upset?"

"No, not at all." Bob grunted, half smiling. He then tilted his head to the side a little and watched the back of Jamie's khaki suit shift its way in and out of the crowd before it finally reached a wall on the other side of the hall. He looked down at his hand, before looking back up in time to catch Cathy laughing and clutching Jamie's side, who watched her with a wide grin before pulling her by her wrists with him. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"Impressed, actually."

* * *

Cathy couldn't stop giggling the entire time as Jamie raised his eyebrows at her with a smirk, and though he was barely even holding her wrists, dragged her with him. She shook her head every so often at him, and he looked over his shoulder to make sure he was bringing them to the right spot. He had made sure to get them right in the middle of the floor, though not in a spot where they'd be particularly noticeable.

The song has just changed. It was a song Jamie actually recognized – it was a _real_dance song – funky and just a little bit… _psychedelic_. He smirked, licking his lips and raising an eyebrow at her. Cathy just laughed harder, and shrugged her shoulders a little. "What?" she asked, giggling again.

"Now, and I'm _sure_ you know," he intertwined their fingers. "I'm not much of a dancer."

Cathy nodded at this, and Jamie pouted a little at her, but shook it off. She smiled up at him and bit her tongue to keep herself from giggling more.

"But _I_ say –" he twirled her, and she spun a little on the heel of her shoe, before he pulled her flush against him. She squeaked a little and stumbled a tiny bit into his arms. She laughed next, placing a hand on his shoulder. He grinned.

"Let's show Leeds how it's _done_." He whispered, smirking, before he started to glide them to the music. Cathy was a bit unsure at first, but got into it rather quickly, getting used to the faster pace. She had no idea what he was talking about – he seemed to be _very _good at this sort of thing. She spun a few more time throughout the dance, and she prepared herself for each one, as she didn't want to get dizzy. Other than a few dips, most of the dancing matched very well with the song – _funky_. But she loved it, and just as she was getting rather into it, he stopped them. They ended pressed against each other, and Cathy started panting, not realizing how tired she actually was after all that. It felt exhilarating.

A few people pat them on the back with smiles, and a few even asked Jamie how he learned the foot work. He seemed a bit embarrassed to admit that he sometimes danced by himself after a particularly good day, and by the time he returned to Cathy his face was bright red. He huffed once, placing his hands on his hips, and the two of them watched each other with smiles for a while before breaking out into giggles together. Cathy hugged Jamie around the waist, and after a small pause, a new song came on. It was much softer and slower than the one they had just danced to, and Cathy's smile widened.

"Now _this_ I can do." She laughed.

The couple spent the next two songs swaying gently and embracing each other. Cathy kept her cheek on Jamie's shoulder, facing his neck so that every time he kissed her head she could kiss his jaw. He would grin every time, sometimes even chuckle to himself, which made her giggle to. Every so often, Jamie would whisper something sweet tiredly into her ear, and she tightened her hold on him, doing the same. She was beginning to get a bit sleepy herself, and after the third song ended, the two decided to turn in early, as Jamie had booked a room in the hotel.

"I just have to grab my coat." She told him. "Meet you up there?"

Jamie pouted again, but complied, kissing her twice and holding her tightly until she had to beg in a fit of giggles to be released.

"The faster you let go, the faster I'll be able to meet you upstairs." She laughed, flicking his nose. Jamie chuckled, kissing hers, and mumbling. "Okay then."

She watched him head out of the hall with his hands in his pockets, and she turned away with a small smile. She stopped after a moment, completely forgetting where she had left her jacket. She put her fingers on her temples, trying hard to remember exactly what she had done that night, but all she could remember was spinning and twirling and lots and lots of laughing.

Bob must've spotted her, since he slowly made his way over to her, clutching a small coat. Cathy hugged him gratefully. "Have a good night?" she asked.

Her uncle smiled, hugging her back with one arm. "Of course, of course." He chuckled. "You know how much I love parties."

Cathy giggled, and just as she was about to say her goodbyes and head for upstairs, she suddenly remembered something. "Oh, uncle Bob?"

"Yes?"

"What did you and Jamie talk about?"

Bob chuckled a little more, and Cathy frowned in confusion. He shook his head and dismissed her concern with a wave of his hand. "Just what any two men would talk about over a drink, is all."

Cathy still looked a bit confused, but Bob dismissed that as well, changing the subject a little. "He really loves you, you know." He smiled. "I swear all he did was_stare_ at you, it was as if he was following you around the room."

Cathy could tell from his tone that he was being a bit theatrical a _very_teasing. But she blushed anyway, smiling down at her feet. She curled her toes in her shoes, grinning at them with the urge to dance with Jamie again.

"That's just how he is." She started softly. "The thing is….I've noticed…" she paused for a moment.

"When Jamie starts to accept the fact that he does truly care about you, he won't gather the courage right then and there to just _sa_y it, you know?" she was whispering a little, and continued to smile at her feet. "But he'll follow your every movement, _concern_ for you when you show sign of trouble,_stretch his_ _arms_ if you even so much as _start_ to tumble.

"His eyes will follow you out of any room, catch any feature of you, and he'll watch your lips move and he'll hear your voice speak, and he'll smile at every word whether he really hears it or not." She giggled, now staring up at the ceiling. She bit her lip, looking down at her finger, and then at her uncle. She chuckled a little, shaking her head.

"Jamie is… He'll notice. And when you start to notice that too, _that's_ when you'll know that he loves you, and… you love him the same." She shrugged on the last part, and scratched lightly somewhere on her cheek. She looked a bit embarrassed by her little speech, but Bob gave her a half smile that she returned.

"You know, you have much more of a… _way with words_ than he does."

Cathy laughed at this, tucking some hair behind her ear and blushing down at her finger again. "Yeah, I know." She grinned back at her uncle and pat his arm, before hugging him and whispering her goodbye. She smiled at him again, and Bob smiled back as she backed herself towards the exit, pulling on her coat as she went. She shrugged, her hands behind her back.

"Hey, he's good on his feet though, init he?" she called. She continued to smile for a bit, before pivoting on her heel in a full twirl, setting off for the exit.

* * *

Cathy found her way to Jamie's room, and luckily had walked in just as he had gotten his sweatpants on.

"Gee, what took you? Enjoy the movie?" he mocked. She stuck her tongue out at him, and he grinned, unbuttoning the rest of his shirt. Cathy lingered for a moment, trying not to stare, but also trying discreetly to do just that. Before he pulled it off completely, he dropped his hands with a small sigh, and smiled back at her.

"Enjoying the show?"

"Oh! I – uh – I'll just." She spotted her overnight bag by one of the beds and yanked it towards her. "I'll just change now." She said quietly, rushing off towards the bathroom with an embarrassed blush. Jamie laughed, shaking his head.

"You're adorable, ya know that?" he called after her, yanking off his shirt. He heard her giggle from behind the door.

"You too."

After he was dressed, he lay down on the first bed, hands behind his head. He still felt tired, though he didn't exactly feel like sleeping. Did that make sense? Yeah, he was sure it did.

Cathy came out in a pair of pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. He grinned at her, before patting the spot next to him. He raised an eyebrow at her flirtatiously, smirking. She raised an eyebrow herself, though probably not in the way he had. She did curl up at his side, her hands on his chest, and closed her eyes a little. She could still feel him watching her, and she opened one eye to see him staring down at her mouth. She gave him a quick kiss to satisfy him, and he smiled tiredly.

"And how are you doing this evening, James?" she asked, poking his stomach playfully, as she could plainly see that he was more in the mood to talk until he wore himself and passed out.

He chuckled, shifting so both his arms were now around her, pulling Cathy closer to his chest. He pecked her on the cheek, brushing some hair from her face. And as his thumb grazed her cheek bone, he saw it tint pink, making him grin. She looked away with a smile, somewhere over his shoulder just to distract herself and get her blush under control, and then back at him, staring directly at his eyes. His face refused to remove his smile, and he stared lovingly down at his fiancée.

How _was_ he doing? He was happy, he definitely knew that as much, but he could sense just the tiniest feeling of nervousness kindling in his stomach. In fact, it had been there for as long as he could remember, but for some reason seeing Cathy curled at his side, gazing at him with half-lidded eyes, made both his heart flutter and his stomach jerk. He had no idea whether it would go away eventually, or perhaps stay with him until October, until the next time they would once more dance in front of a group of people they loved.

"I'm doing perfect." He stroked her cheek again. "Just perfect." And he wasn't certain of who leaned in first, but he did know that her lips tasted like mints and a little bit of fruit, and that her hand was on the side of his face, slowly making its way to his neck and pulling him closer.

The nervousness did remain in his gut, though it wasn't as noticeable when she was snuggled against him or making a face at him when he teased her. He couldn't decide if it's strongest, most _noticeable_ feeling was inside that jewelry store – a time that felt like it was a million years in the past – or when he was waiting on the park bench a small while later.

But it was definitely gone the moment he saw her walk down the aisle that October, struggling to see her through the light tears that brimmed his eyes. It was gone when she took his hands with the largest smile he could ever remember seeing, when she said "I do." And when she kissed him in front of their families and held onto him long enough to wipe her eyes and get a nice look at his own tears of happiness before anyone else got the chance. Yes, that was the day the nerves left. He was sure of it.

Of course, they returned for a cameo about four months later in his kitchen – and then once again nine months after in the small hospital room. But, really, the feeling was gone in that moment, and was filled with the only things that could take up the remaining space. Peace. Bliss. Happiness. But of course, right now he didn't know about any of that yet. (Spoilers!)

They separated, grinning. He kissed her cheek again, resting his head above hers as she nuzzled under his chin. He closed his eyes for a moment, sighing in contentment. He could feel the small smile still on his lips, though he was almost sure it wasn't actually there. Oh, yes, _indeed_. Fall, in his most honest opinion, had to be the _greatest_ of the four seasons. It was perfect. Perfect for a wedding.

He whispered more to himself than to anyone else. _"Life's sweet."_


	13. Halloween Part V

_Context: Request from Gina._

* * *

Halloween (Leaves Tend to Change in the Autumn) – Part V

The other bed was cool, and Cathy felt a ripple of gooseflesh raise on her arms as she climbed in. She hadn't been expecting to feel this exposed. She burrowed under the covers, adjusting herself to the change of temperature.

Turning over, she could make out the silhouette of Jamie, lying spread-eagled on his back in the first bed and snoring softly. The sheets were bunched up around him, tangled around his legs and only covering him up to his waist. One of his arms was curved downward, as if he were holding someone close to his chest.

Cathy exhaled, shifting slightly. She felt a twinge of guilt for moving, especially without him aware of it. But as much as she loved him, she was tired of wrestling the covers away from him, and she didn't want either of them getting ideas before they were married.

Married. The word sent a pleasant jolt through her stomach. She glanced down at her left hand, the diamonds faintly sparkling in the dim light that filtered in through the window. In a few months, she would walk down the aisle and become Mrs. James Andrew Bradley.

There was still so much to do before then. Her mum and Joyce demanded they go dress shopping next weekend, and the two of them were slowly taking over the plans as if they were the ones getting married. Not that Jamie minded too much; if it were left up to him, Cathy was sure they'd be married on the roof of Big Ben and have the reception at a night club.

It didn't matter, not really. As long as she was with him…in every sense…

A wave of heat rushed over her, and she curled her toes as her eyes fell from her fiance's face to his lower body. She bit her lip, mentally scolding herself. Now was not the time to think about this. She'd moved over to this bed for a reason.

But that didn't mean she couldn't imagine how it would feel once they finally were alone together, completely naked, her lying on her back, him above her, running his hands over her breasts and her hips, kissing her neck, and finally joining together in the most intimate way they could.

Her face was beet red, she was sure; there was no denying the intense heat that flooded her limbs. She was being very immature about this. There was plenty of time for this after the wedding. But she didn't know how much longer she could wait before she drove herself crazy.

Jamie groaned, flopping onto his stomach and grabbing one of the pillows on his bed, holding it tight and settling just as quickly as he'd moved. She watched him for a moment longer, memorizing the way his nose twitched every now and then, his eyebrows slightly furrowed as if he were lost in thought. She smiled, realizing just how tired she was by watching him. She closed her eyes, immediately feeling herself drift off to sleep.

* * *

Cathy blinked, groggily trying to wake herself up. She blinked a few times, registering that someone was right in her face. She squeaked in surprise, jerking toward the edge of the bed and almost falling out. After a moment of calming herself down, she smiled tiredly, moving back to where she'd been.

Jamie was now lying next to her, practically pushing her off of the bed, the sheets balled up on his side. One arm was draped around her, his palm pressing lightly into her back. His chest moved evenly, his eyes moving slowly beneath his eyelids.

Cathy gave him a light kiss on the forehead before turning to the nightstand. 9:16 was displayed on the clock. They would have to get up soon, as much as she didn't want to. She shook him gently. "Jamie, honey, wake up."

He breathed in deeply, groaning and opening his eyes. He frowned, shutting them again and sighing.

"Jamie, come on, wake up."

"No," he mumbled, pulling her closer. "Not yet."

"It's after nine. We should eat and head home."

"Don't feel like it." He pulled her on top of him, resting his chin in her hair. "Go back to sleep."

Cathy sighed, sitting up. "I'm serious, Jamie. We should head down for breakfast and -"

He interrupted her with another lazy groan. "Can't we just stay here instead?"

She giggled. "No, we can't. We gotta leave, unless you want to pay more quid for the room."

He rolled his eyes, tugging at her waist. "Just lay back down. Please?"

"No, Jamie." She shook her head. "Come on, now, I'm serious."

"I am, too." He tugged harder, pulling her back down. "I want you down here with me," he said, kissing her nose.

"Jamie…"

"Ssshhh." He put a finger to her lips. "Let's not think about it. Just you and me, remember?"

Her heart stopped, momentarily back in the hospital, laying on his cramped bed. She bit her lip, watching him again. His smirk told her he knew she was giving in, but she focused on the almost-pleading look in his eyes. "We…we can't…come on, now…"

He pushed her hair behind her ear, bringing her closer, his lips a centimeter away from hers. "Cathy…" he whispered. "Please stay."

She sighed again, closing her eyes and leaning forward. "Alright," she murmured, kissing him gently.

He smiled into her mouth, a hand getting tangled in her hair as the other moved to her back. He pulled away, arching an eyebrow. "Why'd you move last night? I almost had a heart attack when I realized you weren't in bed."

"You hog the covers, for one thing."

"Yeah, I do." He grinned. "Sorry about that."

"It wasn't too distracting." She shrugged. "I…I also didn't want to tempt things, I guess."

"You don't trust me to be a gentleman until the wedding?"

"It's more like I don't trust myself to keep being a prude."

He chuckled, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb . "You've held out your entire life. It's only a few more months. Until then, I have the utmost confidence in you, my darling."

She snorted, laughing into his shoulder. "You did _not _just call me that."

"I just did." He frowned. "Too cheesy?"

"I…I don't know." She lifted her head, trailing her fingers over his stubble. "I sort of like it. It's cute."

"So I can call you that, then?"

She nodded. "I suppose, if you want to."

"I want to. It has a nice ring to it."

She laughed again. "That it does."

"So, Catherine, _my darling_, room service sounds wonderful right about now, don't you think?"

Knowing that there was no use in arguing, she nodded. "Yes, it does."

Jamie took her left hand, entwining their fingers. They were silent, just looking at each other for a few moments as he gently spun the ring around her finger.

"I honestly can't wait until we're married," she said, thinking out loud. Another blush burned her cheeks, and she was unable to look at him.

She felt his fingers gently tilt her chin upward. He grinned, turning them over so that she was lying down, with him supporting his weight with his elbows. He leaned closer again, whispering against her lips. "I honestly can't wait until I can call you Catherine Lorina Bradley. My darling Catherine." He kissed her again. "I love you."

She shivered, wrapping her arms around his neck. "And I love you."


	14. What About Bob?

_Context: Thinking about Bob and his feelings. Stuart and Leanne, Gina and I decided, end up getting married at some point. So this takes place after Jamie and Cathy's engagement._

* * *

What About Bob?

Bob was never really okay with Jamie and Cathy being together until Stuart and Leanne's wedding. Jamie was in the paisley suit and was constantly making wisecracks about his older brother and generally being obnoxious at first, and Bob had every intention to have a long talk with Cathy about rethinking her decision.

As the night went on, however, he couldn't help but watch the two of them dancing. Jamie had calmed down quite a bit by this point, all of his energy gone with the earlier songs. He was now holding Cathy close, their foreheads pressed together, swaying gently. When the song ended, he gazed at his fiance lovingly before softly kissing her.

The next morning, as everyone was leaving the hotel, Bob pulled Jamie aside and gave him a quick hug. "You've done good, Jamie," was all he said. Jamie was thoroughly confused about what had happened, but Cathy giggled as Bob walked away. She gave Jamie a kiss on the cheek and looked for what must have been the millionth time at her ring.


	15. Subject to Change

Subject to Change

_Context: In the show, when Jamie and Amy are having a conversation, he brings up the fact that he's had a string of failed relationships. The longest was with a girl named Mel, whom he dated for eleven months; she broke it off when she caught him stealing money for drugs from her purse._

_Prompt: Imagine your OTP going for a walk and suddenly Person A's ex/special friend strikes a conversation with them. Person B is jealous and stays quiet most of the time. Person A notices this and kindly tells ex/special friend they have to go. Person A then kisses Person B lovingly and tell them that they're the best thing that happened [to them] (or something like that)._

* * *

soul mate (n.) - simply put; your one and only, the one you're destined to be with, the love of your life, the one you can't live without, your other half

_~ thehostof, Ian O'Shea and Wanderer graphic _

* * *

Melanie Richards had panicked when she'd found out her boyfriend had been filching money from her purse to pay off his drug boss. She knew she'd made the right decision ending things when she had; she didn't need to put up with dishonesty or unclean substances. And so eleven months into her semi-serious relationship with Jamie Bradley, she broke it off with him, giving him a slap in the face and a few choice words before speeding away in her car.

Jamie tried to hide his broken heart by acting relatively unfazed. He refused to let himself sulk or cry, especially since he'd been busted for drugs shortly after. He'd pushed the experience out of his mind and suppressed any shred of emotion that remained.

From time to time he'd remember her, paralyzing himself momentarily with thoughts of their time together. He would quickly distract his mind with other things, but she would linger there, unwanted, in the darkest corners of his memory. He wondered sometimes if she would ever truly leave him, if he really could leave her behind.

He'd had the engagement ring for a couple of weeks when she walked by the park bench.

"Didn't know you liked quiet places, Jamie," she said.

He glanced up, swallowing the yelp that threatened to escape him. "Well, you know me. I can be unpredictable."

"Of course." She cracked a smile. "So how've you been? 's been ages since I last saw you."

"Oh, you know. My life's been plastered over every newspaper this side of Leeds, as well as the rest of the country."

She rolled her eyes. "Guess I shouldn't have asked, then."

"Just assuming you're like everyone else."

"You'd be right. I kept up with your story…more than I would have liked, but I'll admit that I did. Congrats, by the way. 4 million is quite a lot."

"Yeah, well, most of it went to hospital bills and collateral, though Bob was pretty lenient, all things considered." He blew air out of his mouth. "Surprised I still have as much as I do."

"Probably for the best, right?"

"Probably." He glanced at her briefly. "What have you been up to, then?"

"Nothing near as exciting as you. Finished school, got my graduate in primary education, got myself a suitable flat. You know…normal stuff."

"Doesn't sound normal. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that doesn't sound like it was easy."

She was silent for a moment. "It…it wasn't. It just seems mundane compared to what you've been doing."

"And you'd rather be in my place?"

She didn't answer that. Silence passed over them before she spoke again.

"Are you…still buying, Jamie?"

He shook his head. "Not for a couple years now. Feels good. Didn't know what I was missing out on." He bit his lip. "I, uh…sorry about stealing that twenty from your purse. I was…desperate."

"I suppose I can forgive you. You've learned your lesson, I'm guessing."

"Oh, did I ever."

"Well, then. I see no reason to hold a grudge."

"So you didn't…you didn't mean to call me worthless, then?"

"I was…angry, yeah? I think we both said things we didn't mean."

It went beyond that. It went beyond their last moments as a couple, beyond his hurt feelings. There was always one question that came to mind on the occasion that she'd cross it, and now was his chance to ask.

"Mel? Did…did you ever -"

"Hi, Jamie." Cathy shyly wound a strand of hair around her finger. "Sorry I'm late, Emma kept me for a bit and…" She trailed off, her gaze shifting from her boyfriend to the woman next to him.

Jamie was on his feet in an instant. "Er…Cathy, this is Mel. Mel, this is my girlfriend, Cathy."

Cathy felt all the color drain from her face as she realized what was going on. She shakily offered her hand, shaking Mel's. "Nice to finally meet you. I've…heard plenty."

"Wish I could say the same. You work with Jamie or something?"

"Sort of. I'm his former boss's niece."

"So did he ask you out in the frozen foods or something?"

Cathy's eyes widened. "Listen, I…I can see you two have some catching up to do, so…"

"Cathy, it's alright, you can…"

"No…I just…I can just go for a walk, you know." She turned on her heel and walked briskly down the path, leaving the other two bewildered for a moment.

"Did I…?" Mel frowned.

"I sort of told her everything."

"And she's…"

"I guess so." Jamie heavily sat down again. "Even after almost a year together." He stared down the path, catching her form before she disappeared around the corner. "Mel…I wanted to ask you…do you think things would have…you know…worked out…with you and me?"

Mel opened and closed her mouth several times, coming up short. "I…I honestly don't know, Jamie. You know, I…it's just…things turned out so differently than I thought they would. I mean…it's not that I didn't think about it, since we dated for so long. But I think part of me always knew that you weren't investing everything into our relationship."

He nodded, keeping his eyes fixed on the corner. "I just always sort of wondered."

"Even if I wanted to pick things up, I wouldn't even try anything. You love her."

"Hmm…"

"She doesn't want to lose you."

"Mmm-hmm."

"You're going to propose, aren't you?"

Jamie jerked, blinking. "How did you…?"

"You're thick, you know?" She laughed, shaking her head. "The second she walked up, your entire expression changed. You looked so sad when she said she had to leave. The two of you have this sort of…glow about you. You'd be crazy not to do something about it."

Jamie stared at her for a moment. "She was with me when no one else was. She visited me every week when I was in prison. She's so strong and she doesn't even realize it." He felt a smile spreading across his face. "She's beautiful and…you're right. I love her."

"This is why we didn't work out, Jamie. You're obviously crazy for her and you're not afraid to express that." She gave him a hug. "You really should go after her. She needs you. Can't very well have her thinking otherwise."

"Right." He stood. "Good to see you, Mel. Take care, yeah?"

"Take care, Jamie."

* * *

He found her sitting on the shore of the only lake in town, hugging her knees to her chest and a few stray tears in her eyes. He didn't say anything, just tugged her to her feet and into his arms. They stood for a moment before Jamie pulled away slightly, taking her face in his hands and giving her one of his warmest smiles.

"Remember when I said that winning the lottery was the best thing that had ever happened to me?" He brushed her cheek with his thumb. "I wasn't really thinking. You have to realize that it's you. You, Catherine Lorina Davies, are the best thing that's ever happened to me."

He didn't know if she was going to answer or not; either way he didn't let her. He brought her lips to his, kissing her with increasing fervor and passion. He felt her melting into him, draping her arms around his neck and bringing him closer.

Jamie almost proposed to her that day, but ultimately decided not to. He still needed time to process all that had happened, and didn't want her to think it was solely for her sake and to mend any hurt feelings. No, it was better that he wait to ask her.

It was easy to mourn what could have been with Mel, to imagine the life he could have had. There were plenty of things he could have done differently that would have taken his life in countless different directions, and he found it took almost no effort to ponder a life with his ex-girlfriend.

After a moment, he realized that that wasn't what he wanted to do. Things had happened the way they had for a reason, and he couldn't go back to how they were. He found that he didn't want to; there were things he wasn't proud of, but every time he glanced at Cathy, he knew that the way his life was turning out was exactly how he wanted it to. A life with Cathy was something Jamie wouldn't change for anything.


	16. Veil

_Context: Random thoughts about veils turned into this._

* * *

Veil_  
_

The veil was Cathy's favorite part of her wedding dress.

It was traditional lace, trailing down her back and adorning her face with a film of little white flowers. Joyce and her mother wondered why she wanted to hide her face, but Emma was a bit more understanding.

"I think it's very romantic," she said, fingering the fabric gently. "He'll love it."

The day of the wedding, Cathy's nerves got the better of her, and she worried a bit about what he'd think. But when the time came for him to kiss her, he gently took the edge of the veil and draped it behind her head, giving her a warm, loving smile.

(Of course, she soon forgot about all of that as soon as Jamie kissed her.)


	17. The Calm After the Storm

_Context: The day after the wedding._

The Calm After the Storm

They hadn't really left the bed all day.

Cathy found it a bit odd, spending the entire day literally doing nothing. She had wanted to at least grab her knickers and bra, but Jamie's body heat was so warm and inviting she couldn't bring herself to leave his side. (There was also the fact that he refused to withdraw his strong, protective hold from around her, no matter how many times she asked him to.)

If she were honest with herself, she didn't mind spending the day like this. As exciting as the previous day had been, they were both exhausted and had come to the unspoken decision to relax in bed. They'd ordered room service twice now, Cathy awkwardly tying the knot on her dressing gown to open the door.

Jamie groaned, his thumb making gentle strokes on her waist. "What time is it?"

"A little after six."

He ran his fingers through her hair, pushing it back and trailing a finger over her cheek. "You alright?"

"Mmhmm. You?"

"Fantastic."

Cathy moved her head to his chest, snuggling closer to his side. His fingers moved from her waist to her stomach, and slowly made their way lower. She tensed, a dull ache rising between her legs.

"You still sore from last night?"

She nodded. "Sorry."

"Don't be." He brought his hand to her back, lightly stroking her soft skin. "Not your fault. If anything, it's…it's mine."

She frowned. "How is it yours?"

"I made you bleed, didn't I? I wasn't gentle with you and -"

"Jamie." She raised her head, a stern look crossing her face. "It was bound to happen. It's not your fault. Mum said it would hurt the day after."

"You talked to your mum about having sex with me?"

She felt heat rise to her face, unable to look at him. "She…she may have mentioned in passing…"

He chuckled, kissing her forehead. "I really am sorry."

"I'll be fine." She pressed her lips to his shoulder. "Just need to rest." She sighed. "As much as I wish I did't have to."

"It'll make next time that much more special." He nuzzled his nose into her hair, inhaling her scent.

"You sure you'll be fine?"

"Yes." He laughed, quietly. "Do you need me to convince you?"

"No, I just wish that…"

He pulled her closer, their lips centimeters apart. "I'm fine just being here with you. That's enough for me."

She met his gaze and felt warmth in her chest, smiling and giggling. "I love you, Jamie."

He closed the distance between them. "Mmmm. I love you, Catherine Bradley."


	18. Remember When

_Context: Inspired by the song Alan Jackson ripped off from my sister. (Looooong story...)_

* * *

__Remember When

Cathy got rather emotional the first night in their flat after their honeymoon. Jamie didn't think anything of it and figured she was tired.

Later that night, right after they'd made love, she broke down and cried. Concerned, he pulled her to his side and asked what was wrong. She managed to say that it was finally hitting her that they were married, that she was his wife, and she couldn't have been happier. He held her close, stroking her hair and trying not to cry himself.


	19. Mini Headcanons

_Some headcanon ideas I came up with based on the OTP questions from Tumblr._

* * *

The OTP questions - Jamie/Cathy edition

-big spoon/little spoon

Jamie's the big spoon, Cathy's the little spoon. They love to sleep in each other's arms; it makes them both feel safe. :3

-favorite non-sexual activity

They still love their park bench, and will sit there at least once a week.

-who uses all the hot water

Jamie. He has to keep that lovely head of hair of his clean. ;)

-most trivial thing they fight over

Leaving the front door to their flat unlocked. Cathy has a bad habit of doing this, and Jamie is constantly reminding her to lock it at night.

-who does most of the cleaning

They split it up evenly, and they love to blast music while doing chores. Jamie in particular likes to sing while cleaning.

-what has a season pass on their dvr/who controls the netflix queue

Hmm. Well, Cathy rather enjoys Disney movies and book adaptations, while Jamie's a closeted nerd and loves Back to the Future, Star Wars, and most action films.

-who calls up the landlord when the heat's not working

Cathy has to do that, because Jamie will whine about how cold it is, but he won't actually get up and call.

-who steals the blankets

Cathy loves stealing blankets. She likes to be warm while she sleeps, and Jamie allows her to do so.

-who leaves their stuff around

They both do. They try to keep their flat like one of those model homes, but most of the time, their stuff is everywhere.

-who remembers to buy the milk

Cathy. She goes foods shopping every week.

-who remembers anniversaries

Both of them, but usually Jamie's up early for each one to give Cathy cute little surprises. ;)

-who cooks normally?

They switch off, and sometimes they cook together.

-how often do they fight?

Not a whole lot. They did a lot of fighting before Jamie's accident, and they try not to get too angry at each other about things.

-what do they do when they're away from each other?

Well, Jamie works eight hours a day at a coffee shop, and Cathy has a local internship for a psychiatrist. They'll text each other during breaks, and occasionally call.

-nicknames for each other?

They both call each other baby, sweetheart, honey, and sweetie. Jamie calls her babe if he's teasing her. And occasionally, they'll address each other as James Andrew and Catherine Lorina, if they're feeling cheeky.

-who is more likely to pay for dinner?

They switch off, although Jamie tries to pay when it's Cathy's turn.

-who steals the covers at night?

Jamie does this, as well. Cathy wakes up freezing, and has to wrestle them away from him.

-what would they get each other for gifts?

Nothing very fancy. Jamie would probably buy her jewelry and books, and Cathy would probably buy him ties and…books. :p

-who kissed who first?

Jamie kissed Cathy under a random sprig of mistletoe. (Their first unprompted kiss was almost a year later, at Bob's due; Jamie was, again, the one to initiate that.)

-who made the first move?

Jamie did, although he masked it as a joke.

-who remembers things?

Jamie does, whether he likes to or not.

-who started the relationship?

Hmm. Well, they both did at Bob's due. Then Cathy came back after Jamie's accident, and she stayed at the hospital. And when he got out of jail, he asked her out first. So…both of them.

-who cusses more?

They're both guilty of this. ;)

-what would they do if the other one was hurt?

Cathy knows when Jamie closes himself off that he's hurting, so she gives him space for a while before letting him talk and giving him hugs and the occasional kiss. She, on the other hand, is much more open about her pain. And he's right there with her, wiping away her tears and holding her close.


	20. Don't Call Me Babe

_Context: Randomly thought this up._

* * *

Don't Call Me Babe

"Cathy, why don't you liked to be called 'babe'?"

She shrugged. "It just seems a bit derogatory."

"How is it?" He sat next to her on the couch, genuinely curious.

"That's what the rugby guys in my year used to call the girls they thought weren't up to their level." Her cheeks reddened. "I happened to be one of them."

Jamie swung his arm around her shoulders. "They were just too afraid to tell you that you really were one." He grinned. "I don't mean any harm by it."

"I know." She smiled, kissing his cheek.

"I mean, you _are _a babe…" His hands found their way to her waist, pulling her to him. "You're absolutely beautiful." He kissed her lips, moving down to her neck, gently running his tongue over her pulse point.

She sucked in a breath. "Jamie…honey…"

"Shhh." He pushed her back softly, moving on top of her and smiling. "Don't ask."


	21. Good Morning

_Context: Random drabble that happens between the wedding and their first child. Written late at night on a whim._

* * *

Good Morning

Something was pressing against her lips, waking her up. She didn't open her eyes right away. Instead, she relaxed, perfectly content to lie there and allow whatever it was to cover her mouth and brush her with its stubble -

She opened her eyes as he pulled away, a roguish grin on his face. "Good morning," he whispered.

"Morning," she answered, running a hand through his hair. "What's the occasion, may I ask?"

He shrugged. "Waking up with you in my arms for the umpteenth day in a row."

"I suppose that's reason enough." Her hand moved to his cheek, running her thumb along his jaw. She smiled up at him. "I just wish I'd wake up to you kissing me more often."

"Do you?" He arched an eyebrow. "That is definitely something I can change." He leaned down, and the two of them were soon lost within their embrace.


	22. Holiday Unwinding

_Context: Takes places the 25 Days of Fic. This is their first Christmas together married._

_(Written by Gina)_

* * *

Holiday Unwinding 

Cathy stared with half lidded eyes at a book on the wooden shelf near their bed. Her breathing had finally calmed and she was trying to take in air through her nose, though she still had to take a few deep breaths occasionally. Her husband was still panting a little, an arm slung lazily around her, with his first finger twirling her hair. His other hand was on her lower back, stroking her skin gently.

Cathy kept her head on Jamie's chest with a small smile, and drew small lazy circles near his collar bone. She felt him chuckle a little and he took in a final larger breath through his nose, tightening her hold around his wife before letting it out. Cathy pulled herself up a little, shifting so she was closer to his face, and gave him a light kiss. She kept her head in place and ran her thumb over his cheek and stubble, and gave him another small kiss.

She ran her hand through Jamie's damp hair, and rubbed his scalp a little. His eyes closed and he smiled, leaning up a little so he could kiss her cheek. "Mmm, I love you."

Cathy giggled as Jamie nuzzled his nose into her neck, kissing her shoulder. "I love you, too." She whispered.

Thinking back on how they'd ended up here, Cathy just had to smile a little to herself. She had been planning to get a few things done before Christmas – laundry needed to be washed and folded, the living room cleaned, _this_ room tidied up. She had been doing the dishes when Jamie had come home, kissing her temple with a smile before sitting on a chair by the island table. He had watched her for moment as she tended to the house work. She would've asked for his help, (She might've heard him ask a few times, but she couldn't be sure.) but it seemed a million things had been on her mind, and everything was starting to make her head _and_back ache. Abruptly after watching her sweep the floor, Jamie had sprung from his spot, and without a word had gone to their room.

Just as Cathy had turned back around he was back in his seat, casually flipping through TV programmes from the kitchen with his finger in his mouth. In his boxers.

And now you're caught up.

How he managed to get her to just relax, she had no idea. Jamie was like that. But he knew when she needed to unwind, and this was one of them. They _both_ needed to unwind, especially when it was right before the holidays.

Jamie started to sit up, and Cathy glanced at him curiously. He leaned against the headboard, motioning for her to sit in front of him. When she did so, he trailed his hands up her arms and to her shoulders, applying pressure. Cathy sighed lightly in content, rubbing her own neck. Jamie removed her hand, taking it in his own and kissing the back of it. He moved one hand to the spot, the other still on her shoulder.

It felt as though any nerves she may have had about anything _ever_ had just completely faded. How does that happen? Even when she wasn't _conscious_ of any stress weighing her down, Jamie was somehow able to lift it. How _does_ he do that?

She tilted her head a little so she could look at him. His eyes looked at least a bit awake, but the rest of his face seemed in peaceful tiredness. Not yet ready to sleep, but getting there. She felt exactly the same. He smiled at her, kissing her nose.

He kept rubbing, shifting pressures, kissing her temples and her shoulder, and sometimes her neck. It wasn't a suggestive move, just something he knew she liked. He loved pleasing her in whatever way, loved making her smile. He loved _her_.

For some odd reason, as it had been all week whenever Jamie and she were doing anything together, as she relaxed into his touch and allowed her head and body to calm, her mind was beginning to wonder. Before they had married, it would be to them dancing, or to them sitting together on a bench, or reading side by side. It was the feeling of excitement and of warm happiness that would follow. And now, it was the kinds of thoughts that made her stomach flutter in ways she _just couldn't explain_.

She had had a dream many nights ago that she was shopping for children's clothes. And as she had held up a nice shirt for a young girl, a boy who resembled the perfect mix of her and her husband and come up to tug on her sleeve. Cathy hadn't planned to get that dream, and every one after that was similar. First day of school. Sport practices. Dance recitals.

And almost every time she had woken up with a strange half smile on her face and the urge to lean over and kiss Jamie's cheek and intertwine their fingers. She had even woken up with a few tears on her cheeks after a particular one of what appeared to be a high school graduation.

She couldn't believe the joy she had felt just from a few images her mind had been pushing behind her lids. She sometimes could imagine holding a small child in her arms, squirming in her hold and letting out adorable squeaks. She wanted kids. She knew. Would Jamie want kids?

Cathy let out an involuntary moan as Jamie massaged a particular spot near her neck. He chuckled in her ear. "Oh, we like that, do we?"

Cathy chuckled herself, turning to face him, causing his arms to fall to her sides. She moved to sit to her husband's side, and put one hand on his cheek. He grinned at her as she kissed his forehead. She tilted her head back so she could see his eyes, and she almost immediately got lost in them. She saw their children in them. She saw them eating dinner together. She saw them laughing. She saw a family.

Jamie kissed her cheek and she smiled, kissing his temple and taking his face in her hands again, peppering kisses down to _his_ cheek, then his jawline, and finally to his mouth. She kissed him lightly, and after she had separated heard Jamie's groan in protest. He gently pulled Cathy closer to him, pressing their bare chests together, snaking his arms around her and kissing her deeply. She moaned lightly against his lips as his hand traced shapes on her back. He parted his lips and she did the same, wrapping an arm around her neck as his tongue massaged hers.

Jamie kept one hand on her back, and moved the other to her thigh, wrapping a leg around his waist which shifted her closer to him. Cathy felt herself losing breath and had to separate, keeping her hand tangled in his hair. He licked his lips, catching his own breath as he watched Cathy do the same, balancing herself with a hand on his shoulder.

She caught his eye and smiled before giggling and nuzzling her head into his neck sheepishly. Jamie was still a bit out of breath, hugging Cathy to his chest again, squeezing her gently.

"Mmm," he hummed, laying them back on the pillows. "Like I said. I love you. So much."

Cathy moaned very lightly, and Jamie rubbed up and down her back again with a smile. She trailed her first finger along his jawline and saw his eyes close a little again. He really was tired. She needed to let him sleep.

She mimicked one of Jamie's more signature smirks, though it still had that old hint of her pleasant smile that made him grin as well. "I know," she winked. "I'm pretty cool, aren't I?"

They both laughed tiredly, and Jamie rested his head above hers. "Yeah, you are."

Before the both of them drifted off, Cathy could still see Jamie's smile before he had shifted. And behind her eye lids, another of his smiles. But it was on a younger and smaller face. _I can't wait to meet you._

Cathy wasn't sure if it was her voice in her head or someone else's. But it didn't matter. She grinned widely, cuddling closer to her husband's body, lifting one of the sheets over them for their small nap.

"_I love you too, Jamie_…" she whispered.


	23. Bedsheet

_Context: Jamie and Cathy are now married, and are living in their own flat. This is the result of a late-night Skype conversation. XD_

* * *

Bedsheet_  
_

Cathy came home from interning one night to find Jamie in nothing but a bedsheet.

"Am I supposed to find this attractive?"

"Well, I'm hoping so. Otherwise this looks a bit embarrassing, don't you think?"

Shaking her head, she sat down and leveled a look with her husband. "I happen to find you very attractive, Jamie Bradley."

"Well, good. Then you won't mind if I do this, then." He pulled her down for a kiss.

Neither of them knew it at the time, but that was the night their first child was concieved.


	24. Cathy's News

_Context: Well, what generally happens when two people who are married and love each other VERY much?_

_(Written by Gina)_

* * *

Cathy's News

**They had been married for about four months now.**

They had moved into Jamie's new flat, one they'd picked out together, prepared to start a new life as husband and wife. Things had been going pretty well - they had designed most of the flat together. Though Cathy did most of the color and furniture work. She'd seen Jamie's sense of style and thought it was for the best.

He instead accepted his role as couch inspector.

They took turns cooking meals, though they occasionally made breakfast and desserts like cookies together. They went out on dates – Sometimes traditional ones like out to dinner, or lunch at that coffee shop that Jamie was now working at. Other times they just set out and walked around town, or to the park. Or sometimes they'd take a drive, maybe stop to watch the sunset or to get ice cream, for the ride. Though, Cathy sometimes had to squeeze his hand when they stopped at a red light or an intersection to calm him down. To assure him that those things were over and behind them. That she was right there with him.

She'd even experienced love-making for the first time. She would've been a bit panicked afterwards had they done this in the past, before Jamie's accident. But then he'd hug her from behind, kiss her temple, and tell her how much he loved her while playing with her left ring finger. His romantic little Jamie things. And she remembered that he wasn't that person anymore. She'd remember that he cared for all of her, not just her body. And she'd smile. She knew she could trust him. She could tell him anything.

So why was she unable to do so now?

They were in their room, cuddling and talking, dinner settling in their stomachs. They hadn't felt like cooking and had just decided to go out for a bite.

Cathy sighed. It wasn't a happy sigh, nor was it an upset one. It was really just a sigh.

She had ran over how she was going to do this for a week now, after her most recent visit with the doctor. She'd made several attempts to tell him, these past two days especially: some while they were eating, some while they were in bed, and even some when he had just gotten out of the shower.

But none of them worked. If they were eating, it was a phone call from Stuart that left him in a strange mood. (They'd been very formal with one another lately, though it was getting better.) If they were in bed, they were both too tired to do anything other than cuddle. And after showers were just too damn distracting.

But she'd tell him tonight. She'd break the news to him. It was now or never.

She shifted so she was sitting up a bit, and was about to ask him to do the same, prepared to tell him everything she had supposed to a while ago. But a groan of protest and a lazy tug at her waist stopped her.

"No," Jamie mumbled, wrapping his arms tighter around Cathy's waist, gently pulling her back down to a laying position. He pouted like a stubborn child. "Stay down here."

Cathy giggled, shaking her head at him and turning over so she could get a good look at him. He was so peaceful and relaxed, and he grinned at her in such a blissful way that she couldn't help but smile herself. She snuggled closer to his chest, and he kissed her forehead. They lay there for some time, perfectly relaxed.

Wait. You were supposed to tell him, remember. What are you doing, get off his chest and_tell him_!

Cathy jerked suddenly, and Jamie looked down at her with concern. "What's wrong?"

"Uh…"

_It would seem that I have now lost every word in my vocabulary._

"I-I…I just wanted to…let you know…l-let you know that I…"

_Stuttering. This is fun._

Jamie waited for a response that never came. He pulled her close to him again, cupping her cheek in his hand, and looking her right in the eye. "What's going on?" he asked, his tone soft. "You can tell me."

She opened her mouth several times, but couldn't find the words to tell him. What was she supposed to say? How are you supposed to give news like this to someone?

_HOW?!_

She missed his lip twitch, but she heard Jamie sigh, taking her hand, and then looking at her with a serious expression. She felt a small wave of panic. What if he kne-

"Is it because I won't get rid of the paisley suit?"

Cathy gave him a confused look before registering what he'd said and, grinning, bit her finger to try to hold back her laughter, forgetting most of what she needed to say. Jamie sighed dramatically, as if this was an issue of importance in their relationship.

"It's about the paisley suit isn't it? It's the suit."

He shook his head and sighed again. Cathy was giggling uncontrollably as her husband went on, putting his hands up in defense.

"Well you said you loved the suit! You said it was cute! You can be honest with me, so if you don't like it, then just say so, I'll toss it!"

He smiled at her laughter and brought his hands back to her waist. She gradually calmed herself again, though she couldn't shake the smile on her face. Only Jamie would do something like this in a serious situation and cause her to giggle like a child. Only he_could_ do this.

"No, no, it's not the suit. It does look nice on you, though, no matter how god-awful it looks in the closet."

It was Jamie's turn to laugh now, and he hugged her to him lovingly. "So what is it then?"

Cathy sighed almost inaudibly, looking at her hands, and then back at Jamie. He had a beautiful smile on his lips that even reflected in his eyes – it was a proud look, one he usually made when he knew he'd pleased her. The one that she could just never take her eyes off of.

She couldn't do it. She couldn't tell him now. The time wasn't right. She'd tell him later.

But despite her telling herself the decision was final, her mind kept screaming, "Don't be a freaking wimp! _Tell him!_ While he's still in a good mood! TELL HIM. TELL HIM _NOW_."

"It's just that…" she began. He waited patiently until she gave him a small smile. "It's just that I love you. So much."

She definitely meant it. It just wasn't what she should've told him right now. Not all of it at least.

She could see the part of her mind that was opposed to this decision, jumping about in anger, tearing at its hair. It was not amused by her words.

But Jamie sure was. He gave her a goofy grin, like a little school boy. She chuckled, and he took her hand, intertwining their fingers. He looked at her lovingly, in the way he always did in these heartfelt situations. That was the thing about Jamie. He talked with his eyes.

Suddenly, though, the grin transformed itself into the familiar cocky smirk Cathy got most of the time when he was about to do or say _something_.

"I know you do. I'm fantastic."

He flashed her a wink and a cheeky grin. She chuckled and gave him a quick but sweet kiss, placing her hand on the back of his neck. She smiled as he kissed her other hand that was still intertwined in his, then her wrist, gradually moving up her arm to her shoulder and neck bone, making sure to trail his tongue and to bite lightly at all the right places. Cathy's eye lids fluttered and a quiet sigh of pleasure escaped her lips.

She knew she should've told him just then. She couldn't hide it forever. It wasn't the sort of secret that she could store away in her head and never have to share. She had to tell him sooner or later, before the evidence started slowly revealing itself on its own.

But now, Cathy was forgetting all her thoughts and her feelings of guilt, and she just ran her fingers through Jamie's hair and enjoyed the wonderful feeling that shot down her spine when her husband kissed his way up her neck, nibbling her earlobe, and moving to her lips to kiss her passionately, all while gently pushing her onto her back and rolling over so he was hovering above her.

Yes, she was sure it could wait until tomorrow. At least.

* * *

Cathy smiled tiredly, shifting slightly in the bed as she started to wake up. She immediately noticed that something was different here – something was _missing_. She frowned, noting the absence of the strong arms around her, a chin nuzzled into her neck brushing her with his stubble, and the sounds of soft breathing behind her. In fact, there's wasn't even any other body heat near her.

She sat up and peered over her shoulder. The comforter had been tucked around her, and the sheets were still warm. She was confused. He didn't have work today, so he usually slept in. And if he had woken up first, he would've woken her up, too (whether he had intended to or not).

So where was he?

The answer came when she turned over again, towards her nightstand, where a small note stood, scribbled in Jamie's handwriting.

_Hope you feel like pancakes. ;)_

She smiled to herself and got out of bed, not bothering to get dressed. _That little sweetheart._

When she padded down the stairs to the kitchen, she was instantly met with the sweet, delectable smell of bacon and eggs.

Jamie hadn't noticed her come in and continued his work on the pancakes, a growing stack on a plate next to him. How he thought they would finish all of that, she was not sure.

Taking the opportunity, Cathy crept up slowly and got right behind him. She reached out and hugged him by the waist, causing him to jump and almost drop a pancake onto the floor. He was certainly surprised.

"Oh, hello."

Cathy giggled as he turned around to give her a sweet kiss. "Good morning."

"And a good morning to you, too, Mr. Bradley." She sat down at the kitchen table, waiting patiently until Jamie brought over plates filled with breakfast foods.

"And today," he said, placing the pancakes in the middle of the table and sitting down across from Cathy, "we dine like royalty."

"I'm guessing you're in a good mood?"

"Well I slept well, that's for sure."

They grinned to each other and started making their plates. There were all sorts of things for their toppings – syrup, whipped cream, strawberries – even some chocolate chip-stuffed pancakes were hiding in the large stack.

Cathy wasn't sure how they had managed to, but soon the plate of pancakes was empty and Jamie was sitting back in his chair with a satisfied look on his face.

Cathy twirled her fork around, the last bite of pancake still there. It was so golden and syrupy – even a little chip was in there, nestle in the middle.

It was beautiful.

"Jamie, talk me out of it."

"What?"

"Talk me out of it."

"Talk you out of what, exactly?"

Cathy sighed, as if the predicament were obvious. "This last bite! I want it _so_ bad-"

"Then eat it."

"But I'm _so_ full!"

Jamie chuckled, leaning over the table and holding his face in his hands. "Oh c'mon, you can do it! You can eat one more bite, it's not gonna kill you."

"But what if it dooeess?"

Jamie laughed again, "Don't be such a wimp!"

Cathy tensed a bit. Oh, she wished she wasn't.

"Oh, c'mon, Cathy!"

"Alright, alright!" She hesitantly looked down at her stomach and sighed. "This is for you."

She wasn't expecting the tone she had used. It was a bit more heartfelt than what she had been aiming for. Luckily, Jamie didn't seem to notice, and simply watched her in childish anticipation. He was too adorable.

She took a deep breath and forced the tiny bit of pancake in her mouth, chewing and swallowing it. Once she had, she threw her hand in the air and triumphantly slammed her fork next to her plate. Jamie laughed louder than before, cheering.

"That's my girl!"

"You're such a goof!"

"You are, too!" He stuck his tongue out at her. "And so what if I am? Never bothered you before."

Cathy smiled warmly at him. They sat in silence for a bit as Jamie finished up his tea and played with the spoon, an amused look on his face. She could feel herself starting to fall into her own thoughts again as she watched him balance his spoon on the cup like a catapult, pretending to fling sugar cubes across the room.

He was such a child sometimes. But he could be serious if it was necessary. He knew when to joke, he knew when to comfort.

She'd seen him with Jack before, playing around with his toys, watching TV. He must have thought Jamie was the coolest adult ever – other than Stuart, of course. She'd seen the way he'd go along with anything Jack said, making up crazy things, creating new games. But he also knew when it was time to turn on "adult mode" if Jack did something reckless. He was playful, but…fatherly.

And it was just what she needed right now.

She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed before. The way he always joked and played with Jack. The small hesitation in giving Jack back to Stuart after a day of playing. The way he looked at Stuart, almost with envy, when it was his turn to be the playful, fatherly adult.

Jamie yawned suddenly, shaking Cathy from her thoughts. She hadn't realized she was staring at him, a far-off smile and expression plastered on her face. He was leaning back again, his hands behind his head. He picked at one of his front teeth with his tongue and raised an eyebrow at Cathy, who was now tensing again, sitting up and trying not to long him in the eye.

"You alright?" he asked. She didn't reply, but cleared her throat and shook her head weakly. _It was now or never_, she kept telling herself. _Now or never._

He sat up, suddenly alert. "What's wrong? Are you okay? Is this about something from last night-"

_Just do it. Say it._

"Jamie, I'm pregnant."

She could feel tears stinging her eyes, but she refused to let them escape. She eyed him, waiting for his reaction. His face was, for the most part, blank, but with a look of surprise in his expression. His eyes were unreadable.

He always did that when he was having a particularly strong feeling of emotion. Made himself unreadable. Closed himself off.

He looked down at the table, and whispered, almost silently, "Preg…pregnant…"

It was more of a statement than a question, but Cathy nodded anyways. A single tear rolled down her cheek, and she covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hide her quivering lip. He looked back up at her, and his expression changed instantly to one of worry.

"Cathy." He walked around the table to hug her, kneeling by her chair. Being at his height, he was at shoulder level with her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, sobbing once very quietly.

"Cathy…please don't."

He could feel himself getting worked up, but he sure as hell didn't want to end up breaking down in front of her. She rested her cheek on his shoulder, sniffing and gasping for breath.

"Is…having my kid really that bad?"

Cathy jolted upwards, ignoring the tears on her cheeks and facing Jamie's pained face.

"Not at a-all! I j-just don't w-want you to be upset with me. I d-don't-t even know if you w-want k-kids." The rest of what she said had become nonsense jabbering and she had to stop herself, only resulting in letting more tears through. Jamie glanced down - she had a feeling where - and then back up at her.

"Cathy," he began, pausing to wipe some tears from her cheeks. "I could never be upset with you." He took her hand in his, stroking it with his thumb. "I'm actually…"

He kept stealing glances back down at Cathy's stomach, then back at Cathy. "I'm actually really excited."

She watched him stare down at her belly with the familiar, loving expression he gave her.

"I mean…I'm…" He searched for words, huffing out a quick laugh. "I'm gonna be a dad."

He suddenly stopped for a few seconds as the realization finally struck him. A huge grin broke out on his face, reaching into his eyes. He repeated the sentence to himself several times, as if unable to contain his excitement, "I'm gonna be a dad…I'm gonna be a _dad_." He then stared at Cathy, as if he was breaking the news to her, with a huge excited expression. "We're gonna have a kid and I'm gonna be a _dad_!"

He practically lifted Cathy into his arms, squeezing her tight, laughing and repeating to himself. Cathy was shocked for a moment, but watching his thrilled face and listening to him practically shout his excitement, she found herself grinning just as widely.

Why had she been worried? This is James Bradley. He had been right last night – he was fantastic.

He was practically a hurricane, rapidly switching between hugging her and jumping around. Sometimes he was unsure of what to do and just squeezed his wife tight, muttering about baby names, and all the cute socks he'd be able to pick out, and what room in the flat would be their child's.

Their child.

Oh, how far they've gone.

"Alright sweetie, okay." Cathy laughed, unlatching him from her and grasping his shoulders. "Calm down. Just breathe, baby, just breathe."

But even she was ecstatic. She wanted to jump up and down and scream out the window just as much as he did. It was the fear that he'd be upset that had kept her from feeling so happy and thrilled. But now all the pent up emotion was leaking out, and she soon had to cover her grin with her hand to stop from squealing.

Through laughter she gasped, "We're gonna have a kid."

She swung her arms around Jamie while he continuously mumbled excitedly into her hair, "I know! I know!" When they finally separated, they realized they were now in the living room. Cathy took a huge intake of breath and plopped herself onto the couch, closely followed by Jamie, who turned to face her. He was still smiling – she imagined it hurt after all the smiling he'd been doing so far. But he didn't care. He couldn't stop himself now.

They stared at one another for a bit before Cathy shook her head and grabbed Jamie's face in her hands, planting a huge kiss on his lips. He pulled her closer to him by the waist, and when they separated they were both out of breath. He was watching Cathy's stomach, looking a bit shy about something.

Cathy smiled weakly, squeezing his hand. "You…you can feel if you'd like."

Jamie glanced at her quickly, and she nodded. He hesitantly let her guide his left hand and place it over her stomach, the emotion welling up in his eyes. He remained like that for a moment, just feeling around, rubbing softly and tracing his fingers along her stomach and over her bellybutton. He had a beautiful look on his face, as if he was actually holding the newborn child in his hands at that very moment.

"I…"

Cathy waited for him to say something, and he now pried his eyes off her abdomen and back to her eyes. She gave him an understanding look, rubbing his left arm and smiling weakly again.

"Cathy…I…" he began again.

She helped him a bit. "You..?"

"I…I hope the baby looks like me."

He tried to pull the most serious face he could as Cathy stared at him, bewildered, her mouth hanging open.

"What, are you – are you _serious_?"

Jamie smirked, leaning back on the couch and swinging his arm over her shoulders.

"Oh c'mon, babe, when am I ever anything but?"

She stuttered for a bit, not sure if she should be annoyed at him for ruining the moment or just overwhelmed with happiness.

He saw the expression on her face and chuckled, pulling her closer to him. "I'm sorry –"

"Stop it, Jamie." She tried to sound annoyed with him, but the twitching smile on her face gave her away.

"I'm so sorry, Cathy. Baby. Sweetheart –"

"_Jamie_."

"Honey –"

"Jamie, if you don't kiss me right now, I swear."

He didn't need any more convincing. They remained like that, snuggled on the couch, kissing and cuddling. Jamie couldn't help but subconsciously rub Cathy's belly as they spoke, just like he couldn't help but excitedly interrupt her to suggest baby names. She'd shake her head. He'd laugh apologetically. And they'd both smile.

_There were always a lot of smiles in their home._


	25. So This Is Love Headcanon

_Context: The result of a spark of inspiration upon seeing a picture of Jamie in the black suit._

* * *

So This Is Love (Headcanon)

Jamie's black suit was cut from his body the night of the car accident. To this day, he's never been able to look at another one without tensing up.

After a particularly harsh day at work - which included a douchebag client in a black suit being rather rude while ordering a latte - Jamie hardly ate his dinner and went to take a shower with barely a word to his wife. Cathy, three months pregnant, followed him into the bathroom and shamelessly stripped down to join him. After protesting for a few minutes, Jamie gave in and allowed Cathy to wash his hair and give him a back rub, his anger ebbing away slowly.

They went to bed after that, curled against each other.


	26. So This Is Love Oneshot

_Context: The result of a spark of inspiration upon rereading the previous headcanon._

* * *

So This Is Love (Oneshot)

_He knew when the man walked in that something was wrong. He felt faint, a loud roaring in his ears. All because of a suit._

_It was black. Black like the suit he'd worn that night, black like his Porsche. Black like his vision…_

_He had to calm down. It was fine. It would all be fine - _

_"Excuse me!"_

_He blinked. "What?"_

_The man in the suit sighed. "I _said_, I'm ready to order. You can handle that, can't you?"_

_He nodded. "Yes, sir. Er…what can I get you?"_

_"I'll have a tall half-skinny half-1 percent extra hot split quad shot latte with whip. And a raspberry scone."_

_"…What was it?"_

_The man grumbled something under his breath about "uneducated schmucks" before repeating his order very slowly. "Got it this time, pretty boy?"_

_Gritting his teeth, he nodded. "That'll be four seventy-two, please."_

_He turned to Jessica, who looked just as confused as he'd been. She prepared the latte as quickly as she could, calling out the order a few minutes later._

_The man took a sip, face scrunched in disgust. "It's too cold."_

_Jessica frowned. "Sir, I assure you it was -"_

_"My lattes are always 92.5 degrees. This is significantly less." He handed the cup back. "I refuse to drink this slop."_

_His hands were balled into fists as the manager came out. "Sir, is everything alright?"_

_"Your brain-dead employees can't get my order right, and I refuse to drink this."_

_He didn't hear much after that. His vision was focused on that suit, that ugly suit that made his heart pound and sirens screech in his ears - _

_"JAMIE!"_

_The suit was stained with blood. No, not blood…coffee. The cup was in his hand. _

_"Jamie!"_

_He was going to get fired. He was sure of it…_

* * *

"Jamie?"

He jerked. "Hmm?"

"Nothing."

"Mmm." He pushed more rice around his plate.

Cathy sighed, setting down her fork. "Jamie, talk to me, please? You've been so quiet since you got home, and you've hardly eaten anything."

The plate came into focus. He'd hardly even nibbled at his chicken.

"I'm fine. Just not that hungry."

"You sure?"

"Yes." He got up from the table, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll eat later, okay?"

He trudged up the stairs, feeling her eyes on him. He couldn't tell her what had happened. Not yet. She already had enough to worry about, especially concerning the baby.

A few days at home would benefit him, he figured. He could watch TV, read the paper in peace, maybe he could even convince Cathy to bake some cookies with him.

Jamie opened the door to the bathroom, turning the shower on as hot as it would go. He knew he'd regret it as soon as he stepped in, but at the moment he didn't care. The steam would help clear his mind.

He stripped off his clothing, balling each article up and tossing it across the room. Only his belt made a satisfying smack against the wall. It wasn't enough for him. He pried his ring off of his left hand, preparing to -

No.

His arm lowered, and he held the little golden band in his palm. He stood for a moment, just looking at it, before he slowly placed it back on his left ring finger where it belonged.

He pulled the curtain back, stepping in.

Burning. Harsh jets of scalding water hit him, and he pulled the lever to the right, letting out his breath when it cooled to a more bearable temperature. He leaned his head back, running his hands through his hair, pausing for a bit to adjust himself to the warmth of the water.

The door opened, startling him. He peered around the curtain, suddenly bashful and clinging to the fabric, making sure only his head was visible. He was met with the sight of his wife removing her bra.

"Cathy?"

She said nothing, continuing to undress until she was completely naked. His eyes were immediately drawn to her slightly swollen belly. He knew because of her build that she was showing early, and it never failed to amaze him that there was a living thing within her, a living thing he wouldn't fully get to know for another six months.

She gave him a steady look, pulling the curtain aside and stepping in. After she'd yanked it back into place, she turned to face him.

"Cathy, what are you doing?"

She didn't answer, turning around and pulling his shampoo from the shower caddie hanging from the shower wall.

"If I tell you what happened at work, would you please towel off?"

"I don't have to know the specifics." She looked up at him again. "I know that you're hurt. That's reason enough."

"I'm not a kid, Cathy. I think I can shower all by myself."

"Also something I know, but we'll disregard it for the time being." She opened the bottle, replaced it, and rubbed her hands together, the shampoo covering her fingers with green suds.

"You're -"

"Don't you dare play the pregnancy card," she interrupted. "I'm showing early, not bedridden."

"But -"

She cut him off again, this time by spreading her hands over his hair. He closed his eyes, sighing quietly. They'd never done this before, but this was quickly turning into one of his favorite things to do with her.

"Could you please kneel, sweetie? It'll be easier for me to get your whole head."

He nodded, finding himself facing her stomach. "Don't be afraid…to…use your nails…"

Her hands were back to massaging his scalp; he felt his spine tingle at the feel of her nails snaking through his hair. He leaned into her hands, a smile slowly appearing on his face.

His eyes flew open when he felt the pressure disappear.

"Rinse your hair," she told him with a smirk, washing the last of the suds from her skin. "Wouldn't want you walking around with a gigantic grease slick on your head."

He made an effort to shake his head repeatedly as he stuck it under the spray, splashing her with droplets of shampoo.

"Jamie!"

"What? I'm rinsing my hair, aren't I?" He straightened, returning her smirk.

She giggled. "Turn around."

He raised an eyebrow, doing as he was told. "Um…aren't I supposed to tell you that? I thought we'd agreed that until the baby was born we wouldn't -"

"Jamie, come on." He could almost hear the eye-roll in her voice. "Just scrub and don't ask questions."

"Whatever you say." He washed himself with the bar of soap that was off to the side, feeling it run down to his toes as he stood under the constant flow of water.

Cathy's fingers gripped his shoulders, her thumbs moving in circles over his muscles. He felt them move down his back, then back up to his shoulders and neck, pressing firmly and then softly.

He didn't have the energy to stop her. All he could do was sigh again, louder this time, and allow his head to rest against the wall as he felt his muscles loosening under his wife's touch.

He felt the absence of her hands suddenly, and he was about to ask when her lips were between his shoulder blades. Her arms wrapped around his middle, her cheek against his back. "Feel better?" she whispered.

"Yes." He slowly turned around, a genuine smile on his face. "Thank you." He kissed her gently on the lips, then on the neck, and lingering on her shoulder, one of his hands moving to caress her stomach.

She shivered, reaching behind her to turn off the water. "I brought in our pajamas," she said, opening the curtain and grabbing a towel from the floor.

He pouted slightly. "Cathy, I was in the middle of kissing you. You can't just leave me like that."

She tossed him his towel. "You can cuddle me all you want when we get into bed, alright?"

"I guess that will do," he said, trying to suppress his grin.

He told her what had happened earlier at work before they went to bed - not because he felt like he had to, but because he wanted to. She didn't push when he was hurt; she gave him his space, but managed to comfort him all the same.

She didn't reprimand him for being home for the next few days, nor did she give him sympathy for why he'd done what he did. Instead she moved closer, kissing his forehead and rubbing his arm after he'd finished.

They lay quietly in each others' arms for a while before he noticed her begin to doze off. He gave her a soft kiss, whispering, "Good night" before her breathing evened out. He watched her until he felt his own eyes grow heavy.

The last thing he saw before he fell asleep were the rings on her left hand; his heart swelled, and he couldn't help but feel better.


	27. This Space For Rent

_Context: Cathy's probably around three months pregnant._

_(written by Gina)_

_This is around 20 pages on Word, so it's a bit lengthy. _

_Feels-inducing. You may want Kleenex._

* * *

This Space For Rent

She definitely wasn't the size of a watermelon, though she felt as bloated as one – no, that wouldn't come for a while. But she had noticed the snugness of her clothing, and first assumed it was just some weight gain from her strange eating habits. But after a quick appointment with the doctor to check that all was well, she was informed that there was no issue and that she was just "showing early".

"It's not really a big deal."

Joyce closed the door of Cathy and Jamie's flat behind her, placing a bag of groceries on the ground. She had phoned earlier, after Cathy's appointment, and asked if she needed any help around the house. Jamie was at work at the coffee shop, so there was no one to object and explain that they were "not children and didn't need help picking up their toy trucks and building blocks." (Though she always popped in anyways and, after shoving ice cream in his hands, he usually seated himself on the couch and watched the game while she toddled around picking up.)

She had been a lot of help lately, after hearing of Cathy's pregnancy, and had been nothing but supportive the entire time. Even when they went to tell her, she only had half the reaction Cathy and Jamie had expected. (Though, when Cathy left the room to get some tea, she heard her slap his arm and scold him in whispers.)

Instead, she was nothing but gentle and supportive. In fact, she was just as excited as they were. She phoned whenever she found something cute that she "knew a grandchild of hers would just adore." She had a lot of simple yet helpful tips that neither the doctors nor the Internet could provide. Cathy thought this very kind, and listened intently to every word. Jamie acted as if she had just crashed his prom in a jester costume. But he'd get over it. It was still early, after all.

"Different woman, different body." Joyce started to empty the bags, placing the drinks and milk into the refrigerator and distributing the canned goods and boxes into the cabinets immediately. Cathy stood in the middle of the kitchen and watched as she strolled around their flat as if it were her own house.

"It's really just nothing. When I had Jamie, you wouldn't believe. Thought I was having twins!"

She started to lay foods out on the table while she talked, almost subconsciously preparing a meal of fried chicken without a mistake. Cathy made a few attempts to catch her attention, but it was in vain.

"Um, Joyce?"

"–scared me half to death!"

"Would you like some help?"

"_Two_ o' Jamie? Can you even imagine?"

"Joyce–"

"Sounds like a great deal t'me." Jamie closed the front door behind him with a lopsided grin. "Buy one, get another one absolute free!"

He slung his bag off his shoulder and shrugged his jacket off. Cathy smiled and padded up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a sweet kiss.

"What a bargain." She laughed. "Welcome home, baby."

"And it's great to be back."

They both chuckled and kissed again while Jamie snaked his own arms around Cathy's waist and, being the cocky bastard he is, gave her bottom a light squeeze. Cathy giggled, her cheeks turning pink.

"Watch yourself, Bradley," she began before he cut her off with another kiss. And then another. And another –

"_Ahem_."

They separated at the sound and at a clicking shoe on the hardwood floor. The look on Jamie's face perfectly portrayed a teenage boy being caught sneaking out.

"The hell are you even doing here?"

Cathy swatted his arm. "Jamie, she's your mum!"

He was about to retaliate before his mother interrupted him with a plate of heated fried chicken and a glass of soda.

"Oh, yay, food."

"Nice to see you too, love. Work was good?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, work was divine, yeah, did you get ice cream?"

Joyce sighed and rolled her eyes, picking up her bag from the kitchen table. Cathy chuckled.

"Some in the fridge."

"_Lovely_."

He grabbed his wife's wrist and led her into the kitchen and to the table. Joyce was going through her bag when they both sat down.

"Well, on my son's charming appearance, I think I shall make me leave." She got her keys and turned for the door. Cathy frowned.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for lunch?"

"Oh, love–"

"–she's sure."

"I'd love to, really–"

"–but she's just _so busy._"

"–gotta watch Jack today, Stu's got work."

"Okay, bye!" Jamie held a hand to his mouth to prevent the food he'd stuffed in there from escaping, and used the other hand to wave goodbye. Joyce shook her head again.

"Oh, James dear, what _did_ I say about your eating habits–"

He stood from his chair. "Oh, you really must be going." He slung an arm over her shoulder and casually ushered her to the door as fast he could.

"Can't believe you put up with him, Cathy!"

"Alright, you need to get home."

"–what a slob! Must love him, though, you're having his kid!"

"Needs her rest."

"–handsome, but not too bright!"

"Gettin' old, this one!"

He held the door open and gestured out the door. She chuckled at her younger son and patted his cheek. "See you when I see you."

Jamie laughed. "Alright, see you." He leaned down and kissed her cheek and she chuckled again, exiting out of the door of the flat.

Jamie closed the door with a huff. Cathy was about to comment, but Jamie held his finger in the air, listening for the sound of her car.

"Jamie–"

"Do you hear that, Cathy?"

She quieted, only half–interested. She held her breath to humor him, which also helped suppress her laughter at his expression.

"_That_," he began, in a calm soothing tone, "that is the sound of our nuisances fluttering away." Cathy chuckled under her breath.

"Peace, my darling – that is the sweet sound of _serenity_."

Cathy lost it a second later. She collapsed against her chair in a fit of childish laughter she specially reserved for Jamie and his Jamie Things. He broadcasted a proud smile, the pride of a man pleasing his wife. He chuckled and shook his head.

"That woman. What a mouth, am I right?"

Cathy grinned. "Now I know where you get it from."

Jamie stopped abruptly and raised an eyebrow at her. He then gave her a sly smirk and sauntered over to her side, just as he usually did when he was feeling cocky and when he was just about to do _something_ that'd make her want to kiss him. He slid his hand across the table until he was leaning in at eye level with her, and she bit her lip to suppress her snigger.

"Oh really now?"

The comment elicited a giggle from her, and she tugged him down by his shirt to meet her smiling lips in a passionate kiss.

–

It was kind of her fault for getting him wound up with that. They were on the couch in the living room, which branched right off of the kitchen. Kiss after kiss after kiss – she wasn't complaining, mind you, but it was best she settle him down before he got _too_ eager.

"Alright, slow it down there, Romeo. Juliet's got a little one on the way."

He pouted, gently tightening his hold around Cathy's waist, bringing her to his chest. "Damn. What a jip."

She chuckled and snuggled into his chest with her arms around his neck, trailing her thumb into his hairline. He kissed her head and put his chin in her hair, one of his hands slowly gliding from her waist to her stomach. She felt her eyes close, and they relaxed there for a minute. This would've been a great way to spend the afternoon – fried chicken and ice cream, snuggling, maybe a movie –

_Ding-dong._

Cathy lifted her head from Jamie's chest (who hadn't even flinched in the slightest at the sound) and stared in the direction of the door.

She waited with her eyebrows furrowed, but it didn't ring for a while after that. Maybe it was the wrong door?

"Were you expecting someone today?" Cathy asked her husband, who gave a light yawn in response. "Jamie?"

"Hm?"

"Were you expecting anyone?"

"Uh, not really–"

Jamie's text tone went off after that. He stared down at his phone, puzzled, and picked it up to read the name. Cathy watched his mouth twitch at the side, but no other sign of acknowledgment was made. He pressed the screen and turned the phone sideways, preparing to answer. His thumbs danced across the screen for a moment before he paused and, sighing, placed his phone back on the coffee table.

"What's wrong?" Cathy was beginning to worry. It wasn't that she was unsure of who it was at the door, for she had a good idea – she just didn't know what he'd do about it. She touched his arm and gave him a light, comforting squeeze. He gave her a small smile as the doorbell rang again.

His expression dropped, and it was with a blank face that he rose to answer the person at the door. He sighed and wiped his face with his hands on his way there, and Cathy followed him wordlessly until they reached the kitchen. She sat at the table and took a deep breath.

Jamie's hand hovered over the doorknob for half a second before he gave it a swift twist, yanking it open.

"Hey, Stu," he said as casually as he could, adding a little smile. His brother half–smiled in response. This wasn't a regular occurrence, Jamie and Stuart talking face to face without their mum being there. And, to be honest, it was a bit awkward and uncomfortable.

Jamie ran a hand through his hair before folding his arms. "What's up? Anything important?"

Stuart looked upward and let out a huff before scratching the back of his neck, "Uh, no, not really. Just thought I'd drop by, see how everything was with you and Cathy." His mouth didn't as much smile as it did twitch up for just a second. Jamie nodded and leaned in the doorway. What sounded like two pairs of tiny feet scurrying around hit his ears, followed by Stuart's comment.

"Plus, we needed to get out of the house for a while."

Just as he said this, two pairs of arms wrapped themselves around Jamie, and he stumbled inside, laughing.

"Hi Uncle Jamie!"

"Hey you guys!" He turned his attention to Jack and Daisy, who were giggling like crazy below him. Jamie lifted Daisy into his arms and Jack turned for a short while to his father to ask for some new toy of his. Jamie was bombarded with the excited voices of his niece and nephew, shouting over one another to be heard by their uncle.

"We got it this morning–!"

"Do you have ice cream–?"

"Okay, okay!" Jamie laughed, removing the excited four-year-old from his shoulders and allowing the seven-year-old entrance to the flat. "Why don't you two go attack Aunty Cathy and _then_ you can show me what you got."

The two siblings complied, rushing over to Cathy and jumping at her. She laughed, trying her best to keep up between both of their conversations of ice cream shops and toy stores and to reply to every question and to awe at anything that was shoved in her face with excitement. Jamie smiled at them with his arms folded again before he made his way over.

"Just be careful you guys, don't break her!"

They laughed, reassuring him that they wouldn't, playing with her hair and starting fake engines on the counter top. While the four of them played, the fifth occupant watched with a smile. He had put Jack and Daisy's toy bag and snacks by the door and was unsure of exactly what to do. He tried to look around the kitchen and admire the flat, but every time he tried, his eyes would catch on a sudden movement out of the corner of his vision and he'd give in to watching his younger brother and his sister-in-law goofing off with his children at the kitchen table as they attacked the fruit bowl.

It was Cathy who caught his eye first and she gave him a kind, genuine, welcoming smile. He smiled back, trying to relax himself from the obvious tenseness in the atmosphere whenever he had to speak with Jamie directly.

Jamie directed his attention from the playing kids and instead looked up with a huge grin at his wife, expecting her to be smiling at him as well, but who instead had looked away from Stuart a half a second after. His grin dropped a little, and he looked over his shoulder at Stuart. His own smile fell as well when he met Jamie's eye, and he was soon playing with his fingers a moment later.

Jamie sat up and cleared his throat. He looked down at his hands and swallowed. "Hey, Stu," he repeated, hesitating to look at him again.

Stuart paused for a second, and Jamie heard him sigh his response. "Hey, Jamie."

If there was a more awkward moment in Jamie's life, then he had no idea how he could've possibly forced himself to forget. He felt Cathy's hand on his shoulder and then on his arm. He took her hand in his and ran his thumb over it, and she kissed his temple. He felt a sudden tug at his chest as he realized that this was Stuart's first time seeing the flat finished since the week they first bought it, and even then he had come with Leanne (who, it pained Jamie again to realize, had actually been in the flat more often than Stuart) and the kids and, of course, their mum. Jamie had no idea what kept him from inviting him over. Well, he did, but he kept repeating to himself that he didn't. "I must've just forgotten" seemed the best excuse right now.

"Dad, can I have a banana, please?"

Stuart snapped his head up, plainly relieved at a subject change to occupy himself. He fidgeted for a second before answering his son. "Uh, yeah I guess, if that's alright with your uncle."

"'Course it is, don't worry about it, kiddo." Jamie grinned.

"Thanks!" Jack snatched the fruit from the bowl and peeled it while his sister whined about wanting a piece.

"Get your own!"

"No, I want yours!"

Both Jamie and Stuart sighed simultaneously, prepared to stop any fight ready to emerge.

"Jack–"

"You guys–"

But their warnings were lost as Cathy piped in, leaning down in her seat so she could look the two pouting kids both in the eye. "Jack, why can't you share it?" she asked sweetly.

"Because, I want the whole thing…" he mumbled, folding his arms, "And she's _stupid_!"

"_You're_ stupid!"

"_Hey_!" Whether the comment came from Stuart or Jamie was a mystery, but it sure quieted the stubborn children, who folded their arms with large frowns.

Cathy smiled, and continued to speak to them gently. "Now, don't call each other names. Split the banana in half and give her a piece."

"But–!"

"Then if you want more, maybe your dad will let you have another."

Jack began to protest but, seeing the varying expressions on each adult's face, simply huffed and split the fruit for his sister. "Here," he mumbled.

Cathy grinned in praise to their cooperation, leaning back in her chair, "Good." She grabbed her glass of water from earlier and slid it towards her. Right as she was about to take a sip, she saw the two brothers from the corner of her eye, watching her in fascination. She giggled. "What?"

"How…uh…where did that all come from?" Jamie asked, attempting the most casual, passive tone he could.

Cathy rolled her eyes. "Am I really the only one who listens to your mum's old stories?"

Stuart laughed and Jamie frowned, shrugging his shoulders. "Pretty much."

"Aunty!" Daisy grabbed at Cathy's shirt sleeve. "Have you seen the new park down the street?"

"I have." Cathy chuckled, half laughing at how adorable they were and half at a child's ability to change topics so easily. "It actually looks very nice."

"Oooh, Daddy, can we go?" Jack wrapped his arms around his dad, staring up at him with pleading eyes.

"Uh, well, I dunno. I mean, we just got here–"

Jack interrupted him with a loud, possibly rehearsed groan. "But Daaaaad." He let himself collapse, hanging from his father's arm like monkey bars. "You said we cooould!"

"Yeah, Daddy, pleeeaaase?" Daisy clung to the other arm and Stuart stumbled, dramatically following to one knee.

"Woah, you guys are killin' me!"

"Dad!"

"You don't know your own strength, you two. I think I'm down!" He hit the floor and fell backwards, bringing his children into his arms on the ground. They laughed uncontrollably, grabbing at his nose and pushing at him as he pretended to be seriously injured.

Cathy was trying her best not to laugh too hard, but Jamie gave in, doubling over in a laughing fit. Watching him lose it pushed her over the edge, and soon the room was filled with the combined sounds of their laughter. When they all calmed down a bit, Jack asked again.

"I still dunno, bud."

Cathy stood up, bringing her cup to the dishwasher, only to find it full. "I'll take 'em if you want, Stu," she said, placing the cup in the sink.

"Are you sure? I mean, you don't have to–"

"Nah, really, it's perfectly fine." She dismissed his concern with the nonchalant wave of her hand. "_Perfectly_ fine. Besides, it'll give me some practice for the little one." She smiled.

Stuart considered this before sighing in defeat, "Alright, alright, if you want to." He turned his head to both of his kids. "You guys be nice to your aunt, alright? She's doing you guys a nice favor. No horsing around and what she says goes, okay?" Stuart tried his best to sound stern, but there is only a very fine level of firmness one can have when one is sprawled out on the floor. But nonetheless, his children obeyed, and they hugged their father while he sat up.

"Love you, Dad!"

"I love you guys, too."

The children flocked to their bags and rushed towards the door, bouncing the whole way. Before Daisy could reach the knob, though, she turned back to her dad. "Will you and Uncle Jamie come play with us, too?"

Stuart chuckled, brushing off his pants. "Maybe in a bit, sweetheart, okay?"

She smiled in response, broadcasting the gap in her teeth before scurrying from the room.

The entire time, Jamie was watching from the kitchen table, a sideways smile plastered to his face. But when the kids said their final goodbyes and ran out, and even when Cathy came over and gave him a goodbye kiss and a strange comforting look before exiting the flat with a click of the door, it took him several seconds after to actually register that he was now alone with his Stuart in his flat.

Stuart seemed mildly shocked himself when he turned to face Jamie for the first time in several long minutes. It was as if he had blinked and they were suddenly together by themselves. Jamie shifted from foot to foot before glancing over at the cabinet.

"Uh, so, you want something to drink or something?"

Stuart considered the question and, still not really looking Jamie in the eye but rather just somewhere on his face, replied, "Uh, sure." He scratched his neck. "Whatdya got?

Jamie pivoted and sighed loudly as he opened the doors of the refrigerator. "What _do_ we got?" he mumbled to himself. After some consideration, he started to list off the contents.

"We got water to start, then milk, orange juice, cream soda–"

"Cream soda?"

"It's a craving."

"Ahh." Stuart nodded. "So that's started?"

"Hm? Oh, no, the cream soda's for _me_." He reached far into the back of the fridge and pulled out a clear jar. "The pickle juice is for Cathy."

Stuart raised an eyebrow at him and smirked, chuckling so lightly it was practically a sigh. Jamie studied the jar for a moment, about to unscrew the lid, before he decided against it and placed it back. "Not today, Champ. Not today."

Stuart let out an actual chuckle this time, relaxing into his seat. He could tell Jamie was a bit nervous, as he was still in his "formal phase" and refused to look at him directly. But he'd be honest – he was nervous too. But he reminded himself several times that he had expected it to start out like this, and he also reminded himself of why he was here in the first place: to avoid these awkward situations in the future. But as long as he kept the conversation from drifting to the recent past, he was sure the visit would go smoothly.

_Shit. Knock on wood._

"How about some tea, then, yeah?" Stuart suggested, leaning forward with his arms folded over the table.

Jamie stared at the cabinet in mock contemplation. "Yeah, if you're boring then I guess tea's good."

He reached to the top cabinet and Stuart rolled his eyes and laughed again. "Real mature. Really, how _do_ you come up with this stuff?"

"Oh, ha–ha–ha." Jamie took a small rack down from the shelf reading off the titles of each tea. "We have caffeinated teas, _un_–caffeinated teas, herbal teas, teas that make you sleepy, ginger tea, mint tea, chamomile tea, rooibos tea…"

"What the hell is rooibos?"

"I don't fucking know."

Stuart shrugged. "I don't really care. I'll try some of that rooibos stuff, though."

"Alrighty, one cup of strange rooibos tea comin' up." He slid the box down the counter towards the sink, and turned back to the boxes. "And for the handsome gentlemen –" He closed his eyes and picked up a random box, sliding it down the counter as well. "The mystery special!"

Stuart watched as Jamie prepared the tea in front of him. He made it just like their mum – he could've sworn he was humming like her too – and he was finished in the snap of a finger.

"Here you are." He handed the mug to his brother, who accepted it with a smile. He took a cautious sip, and was surprised by the different, sweeter taste.

"Honey? Instead of sugar?"

"Mhm. Cathy likes this tea in particular with honey, so I guess I just added it by force of habit."

While it wasn't a huge deal, and while it also could've easily been a trick of the eye, Stuart still could've sworn he saw Jamie smile the second Cathy's name hit his lips, and he took a swig of his tea to hide it from him. He probably thought, Stuart being his annoying older brother and all, that he'd tease him for it, so he tried to hide it as best he could.

Which means Stuart just _had_ to tease him.

"Sooo, you and Cathy must be doing well," he commented nonchalantly, leaning back in his chair and looking down at his mug. "_Very_ well, in fact." Jamie gave him a confused look as Stuart took another sip and added, "Good tea, this."

"What do you mean, '_very _well'?" Jamie questioned.

Stuart smirked. "So do you have a list of baby names going or what?"

Jamie scoffed at him, folding his arms, fighting back the smile and light blush that was threatening to creep up on him. "Arse." He took another sip of tea to hide his grin. "But I might, yeah."

Stuart chuckled. "Oh, you know I'm just teasing ya. I'm happy for you." He then raised an eyebrow at his brother and urged him to continue.

Jamie smiled at his mug and chuckled shortly. "Well, I haven't really thought about girl's names yet, but Cathy and me were talkin' the other night and we both kind of decided on Matthew."

"Matt, huh?"

"Yeah, I'm really drawn to that name for some reason. It's like I have some sort of connection with it, I dunno, it's odd."

"I see. Well I like it." Stuart picked up his mug, gripping the handle proudly. "Matthew Bradley," he pronounced. "He shall be great!"

"Oh, with my genetics? He's sure fire." Jamie chuckled. "He will have quite the way with the ladies."

Stuart snorted at this. "Yeah, 'cause you're so smooth."

"Oh, you mean like you on your first date? When you tripped and got the back of your jeans all muddy?"

"Naw, I meant more like that time your gum fell out of your mouth and onto your shoe."

Jamie raised his eyebrows at him. "Oooh. Watch out, we got a real hot shot over here. You got a lotta guts bringing that one up."

Stuart laughed, leaning back in his chair and stretching his arms behind his head. "Oh, you have no _idea_ how long I've been waiting to use that."

Jamie stretched his own arms with a challenging smirk. "I see how this is," he started as he set his mug down on the counter, cracked his fingers, and stared Stuart right in the eye. "It's on."

–

The time spent after that was in pleasant nostalgia: little funny stories from the past that split their sides, jabs at embarrassing moments of each other, and just those little moments that made them sigh in happiness. There were few moments where the conversation faded out, which usually resulted in a half-awkward silence. They tried hard to avoid talking about anything touchy and, of course, anything from the robbery onward. There were a few hiccups here and there, but one of them was always able to steer it out before it got too serious, usually bringing the topic back to the baby.

"I noticed you with Jack and Daisy." Stuart smiled. "You're really excited, aren't you?"

Jamie grinned goofily, playing with his mug. "'Course I am. I can't wait, really. You should've seen me when I found out."

Stuart smiled and, remembering something, chuckled. "Hey, remember when we were deciding on a name for Jack–"

And they'd launch into a new topic. But as all the pleasant conversations and the witty anecdotes carried on, Jamie grew more and more anxious. He realized about half way through the conversation that Stuart was avoiding something, and that there was a specific reason why he had even come in the first place. And when he did ask, Stuart's answer was a bit vague.

"Well, Stacy's at a sleepover tonight, and Leanne's out with Denise and some girls, so I was pretty much alone with Mum for the night. And I think she's been watching them too much. I mean, I know she loves them and all, first grandchildren and such, but…I dunno, I just don't think we get enough time together."

"But you go home to them every day. And don't you guys go out all the time?"

Stuart had scratched his neck again at this. "Well, yeah, I guess. I dunno, I guess I just wanted to take them out, so I took a day off. Halfway through the day, thought I'd pay you a visit."

They had both taken sips of their tea at that time – it was getting cold, since they talked so much that they never got to take sips – and there was a small silence. Before Jamie had set his mug down completely he blurted out:

"Why?"

Stuart held his mug in his hand for a split second himself, before he placed it back on the table. "Well, you know," he began, searching for the right words, "you're my brother. And we barely talk, anyways." He stopped for a moment, looking at Jamie and then back at his mug. "Why? Do you not…want me here?"

"Naw, no, I do," Jamie said, "I just…I dunno, I was taken off guard. Thought _you_wouldn't want to talk to _me_."

"Of course I'd want to talk to you, don't be clueless, Jay!" Jamie rolled his eyes at the use of his short lived childhood nickname. "Besides, Jack and Daisy love you. And they adore Cathy!"

And right then they came home, and the two of them were attacked with hugs and cries of "I thought you said you were coming!"

"Sorry, Princess," Stuart spoke into his daughter's hair as she hugged him tight. "Got caught up with your uncle over here."

"Yeah, your old man's got quite the gob, talked my ear off."

"Oh, shut it."

The two of them laughed right as Cathy came through the door next, struggling with the bags. Jamie smiled and rushed over to her side. "Geez, Wonder Woman, let me help you with that." He grabbed the toy bags and bag of candies and sweets from her, giving her a welcome kiss.

"Thanks, baby," she huffed. She collapsed into a chair at the table, fanning herself. "Gee, Stu, those kids of yours sure got energy." She laughed, watching the two of them whiz around the kitchen and then into the living room and out of sight like airplanes. She put a hand on her stomach. "But I guess it was partly my fault for giving them some sweets. Hope you don't mind." She smiled sweetly and apologetically and he chuckled.

"Completely fine. Glad you had fun. They didn't bother you or anything, right? Like, nothing too exhausting for you?" He glanced down quickly to her stomach and then back at her.

She smiled and waved a hand at him. "Really, it was fine, they were angels. Jack even held my hand the way there."

"And you're sure you were okay with them? 'Cause I know they can be a bit pushy–"

Cathy cut him off. "Stuart, don't worry. Really, the only thing even concerning the baby was when they wanted me to go on the swings. When I told them I'd rather not…well, Daisy poked at me a bit and Jack asked me why I swallowed their Uncle Jamie's baby, which got us a few stares."

Stuart and Jamie both laughed at this, and Jamie's face turned a bit pink. He watched Cathy rub at her neck and got behind her chair, taking her hand and kissing the palm.

"Sorry about them," Stuart apologized. "They get curious."

"It's fine, stop apologizing." Cathy waved a hand at him again and relaxed further into her chair.

"Hey, Stu, I hope you don't find this offensive or anything," Jamie started, placing his hands on either side of Cathy's neck and tracing his thumbs along her back and neck before applying pressure. "But when do you think you guys'll be outta here?"

"But you can of course stay for dinner," Cathy added after sighing happily as Jamie massaged a particular spot. "No, no, it's fine," she insisted when he refused.

"Don't worry, we'll be out of your hair soon enough. I just wanted to finish my chat with Jamie and then I'll be off." He smiled. Cathy returned it, shrugging her shoulders once Jamie was finished and was now rubbing her arms.

"Okay, whatever you want," she said, getting up. "Well, I'll leave you two to it, then. Someone needs to watch those kids." She gave Jamie a quick kiss and another bittersweet look before heading upstairs to search for the rascals.

Jamie watched after her with a lingering smile as he sunk into his seat. Stuart chuckled at him and shook his head. "I don't think I've ever seen you like this before."

"Hm?"

"You're so relaxed around her. It's like you don't even have to talk all that much and you're just comfortable." He paused, smiling to myself. "Kinda like Leanne and I."

Jamie waited for him to continue speaking, but nothing else was said. He still had a smile on his face and turned to look at his older brother, who was staring straight ahead with a far-off smile. He was actually extremely surprised to find that, after getting a good look at him, Stuart actually looked _younger_ than he had in a while. As if he didn't have any real problems anymore.

They continued small talk after a while. Just little things. They made more tea. But as time went on, Jamie started getting anxious again. It didn't build like before, but rather hit him full force all at once, like he was just picking it up again. He had so many jumbled words and sentences in his head that he actually got mixed up a little.

"You sure you're okay?" Stuart asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jamie nodded, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just fine."

Stuart made a reply, but Jamie missed it completely. All of a sudden, these questions were building on his lips and threatening to roll off his tongue. He tried to continue regular conversation again, but the urge just continued to grow until he couldn't take it any longer.

As Stuart took a sip of his tea, Jamie took a deep breath. He looked at his hands and then at his brother. "Stuart, can you be honest with me?"

"It depends, are you going to ask me how your hair looks today?"

Jamie rolled his eyes. "Tosser."

Stuart laughed a very genuine laugh, one he always saved for when he teased, and when his little brother ran a hand through his hair with a pout, he had to stick a hand out to the table to balance himself as he tilted in his seat. "Alright, what is it?"

Jamie swirled his spoon in the empty cup gently, somehow expecting it to disintegrate if he stirred faster. He heart picked up speed, and he could hear it faintly in his ears. He stuttered, scratching his chin, and leaned back in his chair. "Um…"

Stuart put his cup down after another swig and watched him.

"I was just wondering…I have been for a while." Jamie paused and took a deep breath. "What would you have done…or even, what would you have felt…"

Stuart gave him a puzzled, concerned look. "Hm?"

Jamie began his sentence several times, but not a sound came out, until he finally decided on his choice of words. "If we…never talked again. You know, after…"

Stuart huffed out a breath. "I dunno…" he said honestly, looking at the ceiling. "If we stopped talking…I guess…I would've, like, probably made some coffee or something…" He slowly lifted his mug to his mouth while his little brother stared at him.

"You–That's it–You're an asshole, you know that?"

Stuart chuckled and set his drink down while Jamie went off in a mumbled rant. "You could've just been decent and stopped teasing me for like two minutes–"

Stuart slung an arm around his brother's shoulders in a half hug and tried with difficulty to speak through his laughter. "Jamie, I–"

"–and just gave me an actual answer–"

"Haha – L–look, Jamie, I–"

"–but instead you were an arse about it–"

"J–Jamie, you're my brother–"

"I can't believe you." But at this point Jamie was half smiling, and it only took one shared look between the two of them for him to burst into laughter himself, chuckling into Stuart's shoulder. He moved his forehead onto the table and tried to compose himself from his fit. "Oh, Jesus."

"I feel like I haven't laughed that hard with you in forever."

"Not since I was thirteen. You know me, I can't stop."

Stuart looked down at the table with a smile, but it faded gradually, and he removed his arm from around Jamie's shoulder and intertwined his fingers in front of him. Jamie had himself under control by now and had his attention directed towards his brother.

"If we stopped talking…" Stuart paused, shaking his head and sighing. "I don't even know…I mean, you know…you're my brother."

Jamie was suddenly very fixed on Stuart's words, and he followed every tilt of his head and caught every breath his brother made. Stuart chose to leave it at that. It wasn't much, they both knew, and Stuart only hoped that it was at least enough. And it was – Jamie was convinced that he had all the answers he needed from Stuart, and that there was no possible question he could ask him right now that he didn't already have an answer to.

But his mind was still a confusing place to him, and his mouth even stranger, and while he continued to tell himself that all was well, he found himself actually struggling to keep the question saved on his lips from tumbling.

"What…" _What am I doing? Stop!_

Stuart started to look at him, but stopped himself and looked back at his hands, taking his mug in his fingers with the odd urge to keep himself busy. But he couldn't stop himself from watching Jamie from the corner of his eye.

"What…would you have done if I…at the hospital…" _What am I–_

Stuart was watching him now with sad, sympathetic eyes. "Jamie…"

But he didn't look back. "…if I didn't wake up?"

And there it was. There was a long silence. He knew he shouldn't have asked. He should've just let the silence continue on. But he didn't, and now everything was out, practically laying itself on the table for the two of them to stare at. And rather than feel a lift of relief from his shoulders, he instead felt as if another large weight had dropped, and his back physically dropped and his gaze switched from Stuart to his cup and back to Stuart again.

"I…" Stuart's voice trailed off as the words tried to tumble off his lips. He stuttered silently for a second, and then took an inaudible breath and looked at his cup.

Jamie watched his older brother fixedly. The puzzlement and surprise that his own emotions, his own mind, and his own thoughts could inflict upon himself were, well, astonishing. So astonishing, in fact, that he found himself mildly perplexed at the urge to repeat a question that he wasn't even sure he wanted an answer to.

He began to lift himself from his chair, his eyes staring off near his mug, before he finally got up and reached over to take it.

"The dishwasher's still running."

"Jamie–"

"So I'll just put these in the sink." His last sentence was a whisper as he took Stuart's empty mug and started towards the sink. He stared at the residue of the tea in his brother's cup, and he felt a prickling in his eyes. He studied the dregs, a crescent shape on the bottom of the mug, before they washed away in the water.

Stuart hadn't spoken a word, but rather observed from over his folded hands, which now rested in front of his mouth, his elbows on the table. "Do you want me to say anything?"

Jamie leaned over the sink with both his hands on either side, slightly lightheaded. He held the bridge of his nose and shook his head. It wasn't a no, necessarily, but rather its own sentence. _I don't even know what I want you to do. _And it had to be one of the most accurate responses James Bradley had ever given.

"Jamie…you're my little brother."

He felt a warm tear in the corner of his eye, and when he blinked it escaped and rolled down his cheek.

"You're my dumb, lazy, annoying baby brother."

He had raised a hand to wipe it away, but as another joined the first, he found his hand over his mouth instead. His shoulders shook once, and it took all of his strength to prevent them from shaking again. It took so much effort and distracted him enough that he hadn't heard the volume of Stuart's whispers increase as he grew nearer, nor registered the hand on his back.

"And I am _so_ proud of you."

And it took no effort at all to fling himself into his brother's arms, nor to cry for the first time in front of him in years. He was sure to have left a small stain on Stuart's light blue shirt, and he even felt a small, almost nonexistent drop on his own.

"You're doing so good for yourself," Stuart continued as Jamie removed his head from Stuart's shoulder and instead rested his chin there. "Look how far you've gone," he whispered, sniffling. "Look how strong you are."

Jamie practically lost it, gasping and covering his quivering mouth in Stuart's shoulder again, biting his lip to try and still it.

"Married to a beautiful, lovely woman; got yourself a house." He shook his head as though in disbelief and chuckled. "And you're gonna be a _dad_."

Jamie clung to his older brother as two more tears fell from his eyes in the intervals of his blinks. He had what he was sure was _the_ goofiest grin as he laughed. "_I know._"

"You've gone so far," Stuart repeated. "I am so _unbelievably proud_ of you."

Jamie loosened his hold on him, still smiling from ear to ear and trying to control himself.

"And so is Mum," Stuart rambled on, "and I'm sure even Dad would be, I promise you."

"God, just shut up," Jamie huffed, chuckling shortly.

Stuart didn't as much laugh and he did smile with his voice as he gripped Jamie tighter, kissing his head. "Ah, sorry, I know you hate that." He let go, finally releasing him, and Jamie wiped his face with a small laugh and sighed.

"It's fine." he laughed, "I just–I can't believe…oh, _God_."

They laughed again together, both leaning against the sink. They stayed silent for a while. Jamie sniffed once or twice, but other than that they were perfectly silent. Every so often they'd look at each other and smile, and Stuart would give him a comforting look, a silent question. _You okay?_

Jamie folded his arms over his chest and sighed once more. And then he asked the only question he had left, and the only question he _could _ask at this moment; the most accurate, bittersweet, puzzling question of all time:

"So now what?"

–

The Bradley brothers were as close as brothers could be. They met up regularly and just chatted at their places, and played with the kids. It was no longer awkward for them, but rather, comfortable – more comfortable than they had been in years. They'd call or text each other about once a week just to check in. It was mostly Stuart, asking about the flat, or work, or Jamie and Cathy and the baby. They were like all brothers were – like they used to be. They sipped their tea and they laughed. They continued to reminisce, and to tease.

And, most of all, like any brothers – they continued to fight.

"You don't get it!"

"Yeah, _I_ do. _You_ don't, though!" Jamie folded his arms at that, waiting for his older brother to retaliate.

Stuart rubbed his temples in half-annoyance. "Your idiocy gives me a rash."

"Oh, don't pull the whole 'I'm–obviously–smarter–than–you–so–I–don't–need–to–even–bother–backing–up–my–argument' act!"

"What defense do I _need_?"

"Oh my _God._ It is _mediocre_ at _best_."

"Oh, hell no, you officially have _no taste_."

Leanne observed them over her place on the floor with the kids with a smirk on her face. Cathy entered, adjusting her striped cardigan and placing a tray on the table.

"The cookies are done!"

"Oh, sorry hun, but I won't be able to eat any of your delicious cookies, because apparently I have no taste." Jamie shrugged and Stuart pointed at him.

"He doesn't."

"Oh goodness, what is it this time?" Cathy asked, grabbing a cookie from the tray before the kids could attack them and sitting on the couch next to Jamie, who slung an arm around her and kissed her temple.

"_Your husband_," Stuart started in very accusatory kind of way, "thinks _Where the Wild Things Are _isn't a good book!"

Even the children gasped, and Cathy swatted at Jamie's arm. "How _dare_ you?"

"What?"

"I _love _that book! I used to read it all the time when I was little! How could you not like it?"

"Well…I…actually…" Jamie stuttered for a moment before sighing. "Well, to be honest…" he mumbled, "I…haven't actually read it before."

Cathy gasped again and gave him another slap on the arm.

"Okay, _ow._"

"How could you have not read _Wild Things_ when you were little?"

Jamie folded his arms and pouted. "You're gonna tease me."

Cathy raised her eyebrows at him. "I doubt it."

Jamie sighed, "Well…Stu read it and he gave it to me, but…I was too scared to actually read it. There, I said it!"

Cathy bit her lip, giggling, and Stuart laughed in his chair. "You know, I still own it if you want to borrow it. It'll be great for our big guy." He winked at him and Cathy.

And he was right. Jamie read _Where the Wild Things Are _aloud to Cathy and the baby that night. And again the next night. And again later in the week, and many more times after that. He even did the voices and thrashed around and tried his best to make Cathy smile. And they all looked forward to it. And it was, indeed, great for their big guy.

And I think baby Matt enjoyed it, too.


	28. Mocking Jay

_Context: Something Gina came up with off the top of her head._

_(written by Gina)_

* * *

Mocking Jay

Jamie, as a young kid, was given the nickname "Jay" by his mother. It was short-lived, as he constantly protested against it as he grew and entered his teenage years, but Stuart would constantly use it to annoy him. After a visit to Stuart's, in which Stu accidently called him "Jay-Jay" in a playful argument, Cathy started calling him that whenever she teased him.


	29. 18 Weeks

_Context: Cathy's about five months pregnant._

* * *

18 Weeks

The bed was…cold. At least, the other side of it was. But why? She should be there, safe in his arms, her back pressed against him. Where was she? He opened his eyes, not fully awake yet, panicking.

And then it all came back in a rush, making his shoulders sag a little, his mouth turning down at the corners. He laid back against the mattress, his face in his hands; he most definitely remembered why he was alone up here.

Almost five more months had gone by. Cathy's stomach was growing bigger, as well as her temper. He knew it wasn't her fault, not really, but he didn't like seeing her this way. He had to make frequent trips to the grocery store or McDonald's, and every morning she went to the bathroom to be sick for ten minutes. He noticed that her ankles were red and swollen, and she was getting a rash all over her arms. And she loved to complain about her lower back was killing her.

He tried his hardest to be supportive. She knew he was, and she'd thank him whenever she got the chance. It just broke his heart every time she was in one of her moods and she pushed him away, almost like she was saying she didn't need him. No matter how many times he told himself that wasn't true, it was hard to say otherwise when she gave him the death glare.

Like tonight, for instance. She'd been craving close to everything on the menu at the local Chinese restaurant, so the kitchen table had been littered with open white fold-up containers, their contents half-eaten. She'd complained of heartburn shortly after she'd finished, so he'd gotten her painkillers.

That was where things went wrong. He'd given her the pills, and hastily hugged her, hoping to make her feel a bit better. He should have known not to touch her like that.

"Goddammit! You think I'm stupid, don't you? Just because I'm pregnant, I'm weak?"

"I never even -"

"Shut up, Jamie! I know how your mind works!" Tears had fallen down her face. "You don't love me like that. You don't. You got what you wanted, so why are you still here?"

He froze, trying his hardest not to cry, not when she was upset. Her words were hurtful, to say the least, but he wasn't about to work her up any more than she already was.

"Just…leave me the hell alone." She marched into the living room, plopping down on the couch. She turned on the TV. "I'm sleeping down here for the night."

"Sweetie, the doctor said -"

"I DON'T GIVE A FUCK WHAT THE DOCTOR SAID." She gritted her teeth. "What did I say? Leave me alone, Jamie."

He hadn't meant to, but his temper boiled, and he found himself saying, "Fine, if you hate me so much, why don't I leave, then? Why don't I find my own place?"

"Oh, shocking. You wanting to leave me." She shook her head, flipping through the channels. "Why are you still here? You got what you wanted out of me a while ago."

"Maybe it's because I love you, Cathy! I married you, didn't I? Ever think of that?" His voice rose, and he found it harder to fight back the tears. "I don't care how angry you get at me! I love you. I love our little baby, and I'll do whatever it takes to make you both happy. But if you don't want me here, then I'll go! Is that what you want?!"

She bit her lip, turning back to the TV, signalling that the discussion was over. He'd pounded up the stairs, slamming the bedroom door shut and crawling under the covers. Only then did he break down and cry.

His mum had warned him about female hormones soon after she'd heard about the pregnancy. She'd actually taken him shopping for books and made him take notes on what not to do if Cathy was in a bad mood. At the very top of the list was "Never shout back, no matter how angry you may feel."

He tried his hardest to stop crying, to calm down and go downstairs and apologize. But her words prevented him from uncurling from around himself. A little part of his mind was convinced that she wanted him out of her life, that maybe he only wanted her for sex, that he'd have to leave soon and go back to selling drugs for money.

Jamie took a deep breath, letting the air out slowly through his mouth. All that wasn't going to burden him any longer. He knew, deep down, that he loved Cathy, and she loved him. She was just in a bad mood; it would get better once she'd calmed down.

That didn't stop the next wave of tears that eventually lulled him to sleep.

So here he was, at 1:05 in the morning, all alone in their room, wishing she was there with him. He didn't care how pissed off she was at him. He wanted her to know he still cared. That he'd always care.

He stood up, stretching a bit before slowly walking down the stairs and into the living room. Cathy had fallen asleep sitting up, the TV still on. As he turned it off, he saw dry tear lines running down her face.

Jamie carefully lifted her up, trying not to think about how heavy she'd gotten. He began the slow, painful walk back up the stairs, enduring the dull pain in his arms and sighing in relief when he finally reached the door.

He gently laid her on the bed, making sure her pillows were elevated, and pulled the sheets over her. After settling back into bed, he brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face, cautiously moving closer.

You could never tell how angry she'd get just by watching her sleep. She was always so quiet, looked so peaceful. He lay his head in the crook of her neck and gently placed a hand over her stomach.

"Good night, baby," he whispered, rubbing his wife's belly. "Good night, Cathy." He brushed his lips over her cheek, then closed his eyes and fell back asleep.

* * *

"Jamie…Jamie, wake up."

He opened his eyes to see Cathy's staring right back at him. He didn't flinch away; he was ready for whatever she decided to -

She was kissing him. Hard.

Well, that was unexpected.

"I'm so sorry about last night," she said, hugging him. "I'm so sorry, Jamie."

"It's alright," he said, pulling her closer. "I'm fine -"

"No, you're not." She shyly looked up at him. "I was out of line. I never should have…I didn't mean to say…it just…" She broke off, crying into his shoulder. "Please don't leave. Please."

He sighed, stroking her hair. "Cathy, I'm not going anywhere. You don't have to apologize, because I wasn't any better."

"But I…I told you that you didn't…" Her hold tightened slightly. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, sweetheart…I love you."

"It's okay," he whispered. "I love you, too. Just…"

"Just what?" She pulled away, eyes still wet with tears.

"Promise me I don't have to carry you up the stairs again. My arms are still sore."

His words reached his brain a moment too late, and he braced himself for however she decided to handle this. Whatever happened, he knew he deserved it this time.

The most beautiful sound he'd ever heard reached his ears just then: his wife's laugh. Cathy's shoulders were shaking with giggles, her face splitting into the most genuine smile he'd seen in a long time.

He felt his own mouth twitching upward, and soon he, too, was laughing. The two of them hugged each other, content to lie there and enjoy the simple beauty of being together.

"Was I really that heavy?" she asked once they'd calmed down.

"Nah. But that one's putting on some weight, I will say that." He gave a pointed look at her stomach.

"I go in for an ultrasound this afternoon. I was going to go by myself, but…" She locked her gaze with his before dropping her eyes. "If you'd like to come with me, you can."

He vaguely remembered her doing this before, shortly after she'd told him she was pregnant. She'd gone with her mum and Emma; they hadn't said much about it, and what he'd heard them say he didn't really understand.

"You…you want me to go with you? Really?"

She nodded. "We'll probably be able to see the little guy better." She smiled a bit. "Mum was complaining about how she couldn't see a thing, the baby was so small."

"Do I…need to do anything?"

"Well, you can't mind seeing me naked from the waist down." She smirked.

"Is that all?"

She nodded.

"Well, then, you should have invited me a long time ago," he said quietly, smiling and leaning forward to kiss her.

* * *

He stood back and let Cathy do the talking. He didn't like being at the hospital; he suspected it would take him a long time before he felt comfortable being back among the sterile smell and the fluorescent lights.

The doctor took her weight and her blood pressure first before telling her it would take around thirty minutes to smear gel all over her stomach and rub some sort of device called a transducer over it. Why it was going to be that long, he didn't know, but he figured questioning wouldn't be a smart idea. It was probably best to stay quiet.

Cathy was in a hospital gown, laying on the metal table in the middle of the room. The doctor asked her some questions about her back pain and her rash, and then she was asked to pull the gown up. Jamie felt his neck and cheeks grow warm at the sight of her exposed skin, much like they always did when he and Cathy were -

"Jamie?" She'd turned her head to look at him. "You don't have to stand over there all by yourself," she said, giving him a kind smile.

He moved to stand by her head, not quite sure what to do. He watched as the doctor spread the gel over Cathy's abdomen, then moved the transducer over the gel. A black-and-white grainy image appeared on the screen by the table. All Jamie could make out were dots.

"Baby's around five-and-a-half inches long by now," the doctor said. "Weighs around seven ounces. You should start feeling some movements in the womb. They might be a bit strong, considering this is your first pregnancy and your build is small."

"I've been feeling something," Cathy admitted with a slight frown. "I thought it might be gas bubbles."

Jamie's head shot up. "You…you might have felt…"

"I don't know if I did," she said, an apologetic look in her eyes. "I wanted to tell you when I was absolutely certain."

"You probably won't know for sure for another week or two," the doctor said. "And even then, you might not be able to feel it from the outside."

Jamie felt his heart sink when he felt Cathy grab for his hand. "Jamie, honey. Look at the screen!"

He couldn't see it at first. It still looked like a mass of dots. But as he looked longer, he finally saw it. There was no mistaking the little bean shape displayed there.

"That's the head," the doctor informed them. "And I think you can make out the body, as well."

Jamie grasped Cathy's hand tighter, unable to take his eyes off of the little gray blob. A voice in his head repeated over and over: _That's your child. Right there. That's the life you made with Cathy._

It was absolutely beautiful.

"Can you tell if it's a boy or a girl?" he heard himself asking.

"At the moment, no," the doctor answered. "When Mrs. Bradley comes in for the third trimester ultrasound, we should be able to."

Jamie hardly remembered a thing that was said after that. When he recalled that day, all he could say about it was that he kept his eyes on the head of the baby, periodically looked down at Cathy to smile through his tears, and didn't let go of her hand until he had to.

* * *

She had to sleep on her side from now on. Jamie made sure to put extra pillows on her side of the bed, since he knew she'd have trouble falling asleep. He was walking toward the closet to get another pillowcase when Cathy rushed in.

"Jamie! Give me your hand right now!" She was breathing heavily, and he guessed she'd been downstairs.

He'd done something wrong, hadn't he? He sighed. "Cathy, I'm sorry -"

"No, sweetie, just…" She grabbed his left hand, spreading it over her stomach. "Wait a moment, alright?"

He had a feeling what she was trying to do, and smiled sadly at her. He wouldn't feel anything for a while, so he didn't see what -

There.

There it was.

He felt his eyes widen.

"Oh, my…"

"See?" Cathy bounced on her heels. "Try talking. The doctor says babies around the 5-month mark start to respond to voices."

"What…what do I say?"

"I don't know." She sat on the edge of the bed, pulling him with her. "Just say something and see what happens."

He swallowed, leaning forward, feeling a bit ridiculous. "Hello," he said quietly. "Um…I'm Jamie. I'm…I'm your dad. And…I'm really excited to see you."

He wrinkled his nose after he'd said it, but there it was again. The little flutter against Cathy's skin. He couldn't help but smile.

"You excited, too? Well, I guess I can't blame you." He winked at Cathy. "I mean, I'm a pretty fantastic guy."

"You'd better get used to that," Cathy said, speaking to the baby. "He's rather full of himself."

"I'm not all bad. I mean, sure, your mum gives me a hard time, but that's just because of her hormones. If we weren't having you, she'd probably shag me right now, in fact."

"_Jamie!_"

"What?"

Cathy rolled her eyes. "Language."

"I'm just saying the truth." He laughed, turning back to the bump. "She really is crazy for me. And…and I'm probably even crazier for her." He reached out his free hand, lightly grazing Cathy's cheek with his fingertips. "She's the most beautiful, amazing woman I've ever met. You're very lucky she's your mum."

Cathy moved nearer to him, her eyes shining and her face lit up with a radiant smile. He leaned forward and kissed her gently, a lovely wave of warmth washing over him.

Each of them kept a hand on her belly for the remainder of the night, and if they were lucky, they'd be able to faintly feel the slightest flutter of their baby.


	30. Happy Anniversary

_Context: Cathy and Jamie have been married for a year, and she's now eight months pregnant._

_Implied sexual situations at the very beginning._

_I don't own the poem "As Long As You Love Me" by Kiera Finney. _

* * *

Happy Anniversary

_She tried to calm her breathing, her chest rising and falling rapidly and a sheen of sweat covering her body. Jamie lay on top of her, his head buried in her neck._

_"You…you alright?" He was panting heavily, slowly pushing himself onto his elbows, gazing down at her through half-closed eyes._

_She nodded, trying to find her voice. Funny, considering she'd let out a rather loud cry only moments before…_

_"It wasn't…I…I didn't…" He blinked worriedly, gently stroking her cheek. "Did I hurt you?"_

_"Not…not much…"_

_She immediately regretted saying it. She could see the agony in his eyes, the guilt of knowing he'd caused her pain. He kissed her softly, whispering "I'm sorry," against her lips._

_"It's fine," she replied, smiling tiredly. She pushed his bangs off of his forehead. "It was lovely."_

_He still looked skeptical. She sighed, craning her neck forward and kissing his forehead. She finally felt him relax, and after a moment of holding him to her chest, he sat up, maneuvering them under the bed sheets. She turned over, facing away from him and looking out the window._

_His arms pulled her against him, hugging her around the waist. She felt his lips brush against the side of her head. _

_"You doing alright?" he asked quietly, taking her left hand in his own. _

_"Just wondering why you're interested in my finger." She giggled, feeling both rings on her third finger being spun and twisted._

_"I'm still trying to comprehend that a few hours ago, the most gorgeous woman in the world promised to be mine forever." He kissed the nape of her neck, nuzzling her shoulder with his chin. "Not to mention we finally were able to make love and it was bloody fantastic." _

_A smile spread over her face, and she snuggled closer to him. She slowly felt her eyes grow heavy, and she decided not to fight to stay awake. She took his left hand and kissed his palm. "I love you, Jamie."_

_Resting his chin in the crook of her neck, he sighed contentedly and whispered, "I love you, Catherine Bradley."_

* * *

He'd been her first.

She'd been a bit daunted, knowing he'd been with plenty of women before her. He may not have slept with all of them, but he knew what he was doing. She, on the other hand…

There were a lot of things she'd heard about that made her worry. It was going to hurt. It wouldn't last that long. She'd bleed loads. It would be awkward. She found herself continually dreading it, almost wishing it didn't have to happen.

But the best thing about being married to Jamie was that he understood her, even if she didn't say anything. She didn't have anything to worry about.

Sure, it had hurt a little. It hadn't lasted all that long. She'd bled the teeniest bit. And it had been awkward at first. But he'd been gentle with her, going slowly and holding her close. Making sure she was comfortable. And she couldn't have asked for anything more.

A knock on the bedroom door stirred her from her thoughts. She sat up carefully, wincing slightly as the baby kicked. "Could you please calm down a little?" she muttered. She was now around eight months, and the baby was close to being ready to come out. She knew she definitely was ready; she hadn't been sleeping all that well lately, not with the baby moving so restlessly.

Jamie opened the door, a smile on his face and a tray stacked with food in hand. "Happy first anniversary, love," he said, walking to the bed and gently setting the tray down. He leaned forward and kissed her softly. "I love you."

She returned his smile, feeling a bit less tired. She still couldn't believe that today marked their one-year wedding anniversary; she wasn't sure if it was her hormones or her emotions that made her want to cry. When she imagined celebrating this special day, she hadn't been planning to be practically bedridden and unable to do anything other than complain.

Jamie had been absolutely wonderful, like he always was. He insisted on doing all of the chores, as well the foods shopping every weekend on top of his job. He went with her to all of her doctor appointments, and tried his hardest to follow her mood swings. They'd had a few more fights, but luckily she still found him sleeping by her side each night, no matter how angry she could get.

"Happy first," she answered. "I love you, too." She glanced down at the tray, which was loaded with scrambled eggs, bacon, plenty of fruit, and, of course, pancakes.

"I read over the list the doctor gave us. I made sure the bacon is low-fat and the pancakes are whole-grain." He looked up expectantly. "Is it alright? Do you want to wait to eat? Or do you want something else?" A line of worry creased his forehead.

"Jamie…"

"I just figured, since it's our one-year, that I'd surprise you, but if you want me to go get you something else, I can."

She laughed, shaking her head. "Jamie, I love it. Thank you." She hugged him and sighed. "I just…"

"Yeah?"

"You do so much for me already. I could have…"

He kissed her soundly, cutting her off. "Cathy, don't take this the wrong way…but you're larger than a watermelon." She slapped him on the arm. "Not in a bad way. But you need your rest."

"I'm perfectly capable of…" She yawned, her words lost.

Jamie chuckled. "I hear you up in the night. I want you to take it easy today, alright?"

"I'll be fine, Jamie. I kind of wanted to do something special with you today."

He pushed the tray closer to her, fluffing her pillows. "We can go out later. I want you to get comfy and eat your breakfast."

She looked at the tray, then back at her husband. She gave in, realizing just how hungry she was. She finished the bacon quickly, and was dousing her pancakes with syrup shortly afterward.

"Oh! I have something for you!" she said through a mouthful of food. She sat still for a moment, trying to decide if it would be a good idea to get up. She eventually leaned back. "It's on my side of the closet."

Jamie got up and gave her a small smile, giving her a look that said he appreciated that she was listening to him. He walked over to the closet, starting to rummage through the drawers of the organizers that held her shoes.

"Top drawer," she said, spearing some eggs.

"Found it!" He emerged with a green-wrapped package, once again taking a seat beside his wife. "What, no card?"

Cathy froze; she'd had a feeling she'd forgotten something. "Shit! _That__'s _what I needed to buy. It totally skipped my mind, I'm so sorry -"

"Cathy, I was teasing you -"

"And I was going to get you one of those singing ones, as well," she continued. "I'm sorry, sweetie."

"_Cathy._" Jamie looked her right in the eye. "It's okay. I don't need a card to know how much you love me." He smirked. "You can make it up to me as soon as the baby's born."

It took her a moment to understand exactly what he was saying, and he laughed once the look of realization settled on her face. "Really, Jamie? Was that necessary?"

"What, you don't like being close to me like that?" He set the tray on the floor, wrapping his arms around her. "Catherine Lorina, what am I going to do with you?"

"JAMIE!" She squirmed as he began to pepper her face with kisses, laughing as she struggled to get out of his firm hold on her. "Jamie, let go!"

"Sweetheart, it's our anniversary," he mumbled, continuing to kiss her. "You can't blame me for wanting to smother you like this." He moved down her face, pressing his lips against the pulse point on her neck.

"Open the present," she gasped between breaths. "Just open it!"

"Fine." He sighed dramatically, relinquishing his grip and picking the package back up.

"There are actually two gifts. First one's from the baby." She felt a tiny kick in response, and she smiled. "Just a little something for his daddy."

"As if I need anything else for him," Jamie quipped, rolling his eyes slightly. "I can add it to the pile of baby shower gifts sitting in the nursery."

Cathy giggled, watching as he tore the first layer of paper away, revealing a tiny pair of knitted blue socks. His eyes lit up, and he tentatively picked them up, mesmerized.

"I know you haven't had a lot of time to go out and do any baby shopping," she said. She fell silent, watching him study the little socks. "I, um…thought it'd be a good idea if…"

He gently set the socks down and turned to her - or, rather, turned to her stomach.

"I love them," he said, placing a hand on her belly. "Thank you very much. Pretty soon, I'll get to see you wear them." He pressed an ear against her nightgown, his brow furrowed in concentration. She knew what he was listening for; a few seconds later, she felt another kick, and he was beaming once again.

"You'll get to see them soon enough," he went on. "Trust me, you'll adore them just as much as I do."

"You still have my present to open," Cathy reminded him. She watched anxiously as he ripped away the last of the green wrapping paper.

The smile faded from Jamie's face, and his eyes widened a bit. In his hands was a framed photograph of a man and a woman, smiling widely at the camera. They stood by an oak tree, surrounded by autumn leaves. The woman, in a beautiful white dress, was resting her head on the man's shoulder, her arms around his middle. The man, in a similar fashion, held her to him lovingly, his cheek pressed into her hair and his tie loose around his neck.

Cathy studied his face, a bit concerned when he fell silent for a few minutes. "Sweetheart?" she whispered. "Are…are you okay?"

He nodded slightly, his eyes still on the picture.

"Would…would you like to read what's on the frame?"

He finally lifted his eyes to hers, nodding again. He put an arm around her, cleared his throat, and looked to the carved words that surrounded the very first photo taken of them together on their wedding day.

"'As long as you love me, I'll stay by your side,'" he read. "'I'll be your companion, your friend and your guide.'" He glanced at her. "No offense, but…isn't this a bit cheesy?"

"Precisely why I picked it." She giggled. "Keep reading."

"'As long as you love me, as long as you care, I'll do anything for you, I'll go anywhere.'"

"You'll love the next stanza," Cathy said through her giggles.

"Oh, joy. 'I'll bring you the sunshine, I'll comfort your fears.'" He wrinkled his nose. "'I'll gather up rainbows to chase all your tears.' This…this is just getting painful…"

"Worst is over," she assured him, snuggling into his side.

He snorted. "Doubt it. 'As long as forever, my love will…'" He paused, reading silently, his throat closing up.

"Jamie?"

"I'm…I'm fine. 'As long as forever…my love will be true…'" He felt a few tears fall from his eyes. "'For as long as you love me…I'll only love you.' Kiera Finney."

Cathy felt her husband's shoulders shake as he continued to cry. "Jamie?" she asked again, reaching up to brush away his tears.

"Sorry. I…I shouldn't be…" He took a deep breath. "I…thank you, Cathy." He brought her into his arms, kissing her forehead. "I love it."

"I didn't mean for you to cry," she murmured, locking her gaze with his.

"It's quite alright." He caught her lips with his in a chaste kiss. "I love you, Cathy. So much."

"I love you, too, Jamie."

"As long as forever?" He grinned through his tears.

"As long as forever." She laid her head on his shoulder, and they sat in a comfortable silence for the rest of the morning.

* * *

Later that day, Cathy had finally drifted off to a reasonably restful sleep - the first she'd had in a long while. She lay on her side, cushioned by nearly every pillow from the closet, her breathing slow and even. He hated to disturb her when she looked this calm.

On second thought, he really didn't.

"Baby, you liiight up my wooorld like nobooody else!"

Cathy jerked awake, sitting up quickly and clutching her stomach out of habit. What in the world was going on? Why was Jamie screaming?

"You don't know-oh-oh! You don't know you're beautifuuuul!"

He was jumping around the room, the radio cranked up to maximum volume. She watched him for a minute, still half-asleep. "Jamie, what are you doing?"

"Waking you up."

She covered her ears. "Please turn that down." She winced. "You know I don't care for this song."

He turned the dial on the radio, turning it off. "Way to ruin my fun," he said, crossing his arms dramatically. "Anyway, time to get up, sweetie. We gotta go."

"Go where?" She blinked tiredly.

"You said you wanted to go out, didn't you?"

She rubbed her eyes, nodding. "Well, yes, but I didn't…"

"Well, come on, then." He tossed her some pants. "We're sort of on a schedule."

"Are we, now?" Her eyebrows rose. "Where are we going?"

She didn't expect him to specify, so she wasn't too shocked when he said, "It's a surprise, of course."

"Jamiiiiiiie," she whined, pulling on the pants and walking to the closet to find a shirt. "Can't you be nice and tell me?"

"I can't, Cathy." He gave her his sweetest smile. "It's my present to you, and if I tell you, that would defeat the point, wouldn't it?"

She pulled on a t-shirt, frowning slightly. "Present?"

"Of course. You didn't think I'd just forgotten to get you one, did you?"

"No," she said slowly, "but I figured that making me breakfast counted." She was touched, but she felt guilty that he kept going to such lengths.

"Well, that was part of it. We have to drive if you want to see what the rest is."

"Jamie, sweetheart…I…" She winced, the baby kicking a bit harder than usual.

"You alright?" He grazed his fingers over her cheek. "If…if you don't feel good…"

"No…I'm fine." She forced a smile. "I really don't like you doing so much for me. I mean…I just feel bad, is all. I know, I know, I'm pregnant. But that doesn't mean I'm useless."

"Never said you were. I guess…I just want things to go well."

She took his hands in hers, guiding them to her stomach. "They will. Don't worry." She smiled more convincingly. "I'm stronger than I look." The baby gave a sharp kick suddenly. "And…so is he," she grunted.

Jamie smiled a bit. "Let's make a deal, then. I'll let you do more in terms of chores and keeping the house neat, and I won't pamper you as much."

"What's the catch?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"You have to trust me today." His gaze softened. "Please."

She sighed. "Alright. I trust you."

He cupped her cheek, kissing her gently. "Promise?" he asked.

"Promise."

* * *

"Cathy, you promised."

She snorted. "I didn't agree to this."

"We're almost there. Don't worry."

They were in the car, Cathy now wearing a blindfold over her eyes. Jamie had insisted she put it on, and while she had refused at first, he'd finally guilted her into it. She wondered what on earth could require her to wear one, and while she'd promised to trust him, she hadn't promised not to complain.

She heard him sigh. "Okay, Cathy, you win." He put the car in park and turned the ignition off. "I'll tell you where we are."

She turned toward him, trying to look as intimidating as one can with a blindfold over one's eyes.

"We're at the Victoria Caves."

He wasn't serious. He couldn't be. She laughed, suddenly finding the situation rather hilarious.

"Cathy?"

"Nice try, Jamie. Now tell me where we are."

"Victoria Caves. I'm not joking, Cathy. We're going spelunking."

She shook her head. "Jamie, tell the truth."

"I am. We're at the caves, and that's the big surprise. We're set to go spelunking for the next two hours."

His voice was even, and she didn't hear a smirk creeping into it at all. Her heart dropped, and she felt the color drain from her face.

"Honey…" Jamie took her hands. "I…I know you may be a bit wary…"

"A bit wary?! Jamie, you're the one who wants me to take it easy, and you decide to take me _SPELUNKING_?!"

"Cathy, calm down -"

"No! I won't!" She folded her arms. "I'm not getting out. You drive us home right now."

She heard the click of his seat belt, followed by the door opening and closing and his footsteps coming closer. He opened her door and unbuckled her. "Cathy, please come out."

"No. I'm staying right here. You can't make me move."

"What happened to trusting me?"

"YOU DIDN'T TELL ME WE WERE GOING TO A CAVE, JAMIE!"

"You promised."

Cathy bit the inside of her mouth. She knew that Jamie won, either way. But she was too stubborn at the moment to admit that.

"I'll stand here until you get out," Jamie said quietly. "I'm not going to force you, but it would be great if you got out on your own. For me."

He was using that tone, the one he reserved when he wanted her to know how much he loved her. The one that always made her do what he wanted.

Damn him.

She huffed out a frustrated sigh. "Okay, fine. I'll get out." She began to undo the blindfold.

"Not yet," he said, taking her hand and helping her out of her seat. "I'll tell you when to take it off."

She wanted to just rip the stupid thing off, but she followed him without complaining. She felt the temperature change a bit, and she knew they were inside a building. But this didn't seem like the sort of check-in for spelunking; it was much too quiet.

"Jamie, are you sure we're at the right place?"

"Yes, I'm sure," he said, opening another door. "Almost there."

The smell of chlorine hit her. Now she knew they weren't at the caves. A wave of relief swept over her, but she was also curious as to where they were. The only pool she knew of that they went to regularly was at Stuart's…

"Alright, love. You can take off the blindfold now."

She took her time untying the knot, her eyes squeezed shut as she let it drop.

"Cathy, you can open your eyes, as well," Jamie said with a nervous chuckle.

She slowly did so, her breath lodging in her throat.

They were, indeed, in Stuart's house, in the room with pool. But she'd never seen it like this. Covering nearly every surface except the water were bright red roses, all in full bloom. Sitting on the closest chaise lounge was a dark red rose, dipped in gold, shining as if made of glass.

"Jamie…this is…beautiful." She grasped his hand tightly. "How…how did you…?"

"Several paychecks, and a lot of help from Stuart and my mum."

She turned to him, her eyes shining. "I love it. It's perfect." She walked over to the chaise and picked up the gold-dipped rose. "You even remembered this…"

He licked his lips. "I was a bit unsure about that. I mean…since I first bought you one when…" He looked at his feet.

She gently touched his left arm. "I know. I still love it." She smiled when he met her gaze and gave him a kiss. "This is a wonderful present. Thank you so much."

He returned her smile. "Well, there's more to it than this."

She blinked. "There is?"

He nodded. "Why do you think we're in here, of all places?"

* * *

A few minutes later, Cathy stood at the edge of the pool, shivering slightly. Spelunking didn't sound too bad at the moment, she had to admit - compared to standing naked while very pregnant, it did.

"Come on, Cathy!" Jamie surfaced, shaking the water from his hair. "I thought you'd jump at the opportunity to do something like this."

"I would, if my stomach wasn't the size of Mount Everest." She self-consciously held her hands over the bump, unsuccessfully concealing it.

"Swimming's good for you. Remember what the doctor said?" He dove back under for a minute before coming up for air.

She bit her lip. "I…I don't know…maybe I could just sit on a chair or…"

"Cathy, you sit almost all the time." He swam toward her, standing when he was knee-deep in the water. "When are you going to get the chance to skinny dip with me, with no interruptions guaranteed?" He smirked up at her. "Besides, I know you find me irresistible."

She felt her cheeks become warm, and she tried not to stare. "Alright. I'll try it. For you."

He held out his hand, smiling wider. She took it, gingerly making her way into the pool. She pursed her lips; the water wasn't cold, but it wasn't warm, either. It took a moment to adjust to it.

"How is it?" he asked.

"This…this is amazing." Her eyes widened. "I can hardly feel my weight."

"Didn't I say this was a good idea?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, Jamie, this was an excellent idea."

He pulled her closer. "Exactly why you married me, right?"

"Of course." She laid her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. "I love you, Jamie."

"I love you, too, Cathy." He wove his fingers through her hair, his other hand resting on her stomach. They stood in silence for a moment. "Honey?"

"Yes?"

"What, exactly, are we going to do with all of these roses when we're done swimming?"

She laughed. "I have no idea. We'll think of something tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan." He tilted her chin upward, looking right into her eyes. "I love you, Cathy. I always will." He leaned forward, pressing their lips together in a heated kiss.

Cathy felt her heart race, her arms wrapping around Jamie's neck to tangle in his hair. She faintly felt the baby kick, but for the first time in a while, it wasn't distracting in the least.

"Happy first, Cathy," he murmured into her lips.

"Happy first, Jamie. I love you."


	31. Due Date

_Context: Title says it all._

* * *

Due Date

2 in the morning. This was really starting to get ridiculous.

Cathy groaned, her hands on her belly. "Come on, now," she whispered. "Let mummy get some sleep, yeah?"

There was another sharp kick against her abdomen. She yelped, her eyes widening when she saw Jamie stir beside her.

"He still giving you pains?" he asked sleepily, rolling over to face her.

She nodded, giving him a guilty look. He'd been losing sleep, as well, now that the baby was due at any time. The pains and aches in her body were more pronounced; mixed with his nerves, it was enough for him to stay up late into the night, rubbing her stomach and giving her the occasional tired smile.

"Well, then." Jamie sat up, turning on the lamp that sat beside the bed. "What do you want to read tonight?" He grabbed a handful of books from the floor. "We've got _Green Eggs and Ham_, _Where The Wild Things Are_, or _Arthur's Baby_."

She shrugged. "I picked last time. How about you choose?"

"Cathy, if you make me choose, you'll end up staring at the wall for the rest of the night, waiting for me to make up my mind."

She sighed. "Fine. Go with _Wild Things_."

Jamie set the other books on the floor and opened _Where The Wild Things Are_. "'The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind…and another…'"

The one thing she liked about these nights was that she got to see Jamie's fatherly instincts kick in. His voice would rise and fall with the action of the story, and he would pause to look at her stomach, as if waiting for the baby to respond. He would even change his voice for each character that spoke.

Whether or not the baby actually understood what was going on, he certainly liked the sound of Jamie talking. He moved far less frequently, and she could just imagine the tiny smile on his face.

"'But the wild things cried, "Oh please don't go!"'" He poked her in the side, smiling. "'"We'll eat you up, we love you so!" And Max said, "No."'

"'The wild things roared their terrible roars, and gnashed their terrible teeth, and rolled their terrible eyes, and showed their terrible claws.'" He set the book down and scrunched up his nose, frowning and letting out a low growl. Cathy bit her lip, giggling.

"Jamie, don't even start…"

"So they looked something…like _this_!" He bared his teeth, raising his arms and curling his fingers. "Raaaaawr!"

Cathy laughed, trying to squirm away as he tackled her. "Jamie, NOOOOO!" She felt him start to tickle her sides. "Jamie…stop!"

"I'm going to eat you up, Cathy!" He grabbed one of her bare feet, running his fingers over the heel.

She jerked away, gasping for air. "Jamie, that tickles!" She tried to calm her breathing, wrapping her arms tightly around her stomach.

"Hey…hey." He sat up, a look of concern crossing his face. "You alright?"

"I'm…I'm fine." She took a deep breath. "Just need to…" She winced. "I'm okay, I'm okay."

He took her hand, rubbing her palm with his thumb. "You sure? We can always go to the hospital -"

"Sweetheart, I'll be fine." She moved his hands to her stomach, both of them feeling the baby kick gently. "See? He's calmed down now."

Jamie shook his head. "You'd better keep up this good behavior," he said sternly. "You're causing your mum a lot of grief, you know."

The baby continued to move. They'd learned in the past few months that he responded strongly to Jamie's voice, especially when spoken to directly.

"I know you don't mean to," he continued. "It's not your fault." He paused, as if listening to the baby's reply. "Well, we're excited to meet you, too." Pause. "Don't you worry. Your mum may be cranky, but she's not normally." Pause. "Oh, yes. She's very beautiful." He smiled. "You'll love her almost as much as I do."

Cathy returned his smile, placing her hands over his. "Let's not forget that your dad is very sexy," she teased. "I'll bet you'll look just like him."

"That's what I'm hoping, at least." Jamie laughed. "Although I suppose it's okay if you look more like your mum."

"You suppose?" Cathy feigned offense. "You're quite the charmer, James Andrew Bradley."

"Course I am, love." He grinned, leaning in to kiss her.

She draped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, kissing him harder, deeper. She heard him groan softly. God, it'd been so long…

"Cathy." He pulled away slightly, his lips inches away from hers. "Not that I don't find you unbelievably attractive and tempting, but…" He looked down at her stomach, where the baby shifted once again.

She rolled her eyes. "Alright. But as I recall, I'm supposed to make it up to you soon." She kissed him again, her smile growing as he leaned closer.

"And I expect you to keep that promise," he murmured against her lips.

"I will." She giggled, pulling away. "I think it's time we find out if Max got away from those wild things, don't you?"

* * *

A few days past the due date. It was expected.

And he wasn't going to worry.

Was he?

"You sure you'll be fine with me going to work today?" He parked in front of Stuart's house, turning to her.

"Sweetheart, it won't happen today. Doctor says it takes about two weeks." She squeezed his hand. "Don't worry."

How could he not worry? How could she tell him things would be fine? She was carrying their child, that tiny life they'd made together. What if something went wrong?

"Jamie, it's just for today." She smiled. "It'll be fine."

He finally nodded. "Alright."

He helped her to the door, giving Stuart a curt nod when his brother opened it.

"Have a good day at work," Cathy said.

Jamie gave her a lingering kiss. "I'll see you later." He gently placed a hand on her stomach. "I'll be back later," he said quietly. "Keep mummy safe for me."

* * *

"PIGGY BAAAAACK!"

Stuart flopped to the floor as Jack, Nick and Gina piled on top of him. He let out a moan as the three children bounced on his back.

"Nicholas! Geanna! Mind your manners, you two!" Emma called.

"Aw, let them have their fun," Joyce insisted, holding a squirming Daisy in her lap. "Stuart can handle them. Can't you, Stu?"

Stuart grunted. "No."

"Oh, hush." Joyce set Daisy down. "You're just fine, dear."

"Nick, Gina, please get off of Stuart." Emma glared at her children. "You're going to hurt him."

Cathy sat quietly, sipping her tea and watching her extended family. Emma and her husband Fred had moved to Leeds about a year ago with the twins, and Joyce invited everyone over weekly for tea. The kids usually spent this time making trouble for the men; unfortunately, with Jamie and Fred at work, the brunt of their antics mainly fell to Stuart. Cathy could only imagined how things would be once the baby arrived and he grew old enough to play with her nieces and nephews.

"You need anything, Cathy?" Joyce asked for the fifth time that morning. "You're sure you're doing alright?"

"Yes, thank you." She laughed. "If I need anything, I'll let you know."

"Aunt Cathy!" Gina was standing at the kitchen table. "Is there _really _a baby in there?" She pointed to her aunt's swollen stomach.

"Gina, it's not polite to point," Emma said sternly.

"Yes, Gina, there is," Cathy answered. "He's moving around, if you'd like to feel."

Gina reached out a hand, her little eyes widening when she felt the baby. "How'd he get in there? Did you eat him?"

Cathy giggled. "No, sweetie, I didn't."

"How can he breathe?" Nick asked, joining his sister. "Is he alive in there? Does he look like an alien?"

"Did Uncle Jamie have a cow when he found out?" Jack piped up from the living room.

Cathy laughed harder as Emma's face paled and Stuart shook his head. "You kids are too nosy for your own good," he mumbled.

"I'll bet Uncle Jamie didn't faint when Aunt Cathy told him," Jack said, playing with his dad's hair. "Grandma said you did when Mummy told you about me."

"Muuuum!" Stuart glared at Joyce. "You didn't!"

"Well, he asked, and I saw it fit to tell him!"

Stuart stood up, giving Joyce a long, hard look. "I thought we weren't going to bring up anything having to do with _her_."

Cathy was about to try and appease her in-laws when she felt a sharp pain run through her. She gritted her teeth, letting out an involuntary yelp.

"Cathy? You alright?" Emma asked.

"I'm…fine…" She took a deep breath, another pain passing through her. They kept coming, one after another, each growing stronger.

"Cathy?"

Everyone had fallen silent, watching her. She clutched at her stomach, wincing before she managed to breathe out her words.

"I…think…it's…"

"It's time?" Joyce shot out of her chair.

Cathy nodded. "Baby's…coming."

* * *

"Look alive, Jamie!"

He jerked up. "Huh? What?"

The manager sighed. "Come on, now. Wake up and bring these sandwiches to table five, please."

He nodded. "Sorry."

"Everything okay?"

_No._

"Yeah. Just tired."

* * *

"Is Aunt Cathy going to explode?"

"How's the baby going to get out?"

"This room smells funny."

Cathy tried to tune out the remarks of the kids as they checked in. She was thankfully put into a wheelchair and pushed through the swinging doors.

"Someone…call…Jamie," she said between breaths. "Now."

* * *

"Jamie? Telephone."

"What?" He stood by one of the blenders. "Can't hear you!"

"Telephone!"

"_What?_"

"TELEPHONE!"

"WHAT?"

The manager shook her head, dragging him toward the back room. "Your brother's on the phone."

Jamie froze, wrenching himself out of her grasp. Stuart never called him at work, but he didn't want to know what could be so important. "Tell him to leave a message or something."

"He says he's not hanging up until he talks to you."

Jamie sighed, picking up the phone. "What do you want, Stu? I'm a bit busy at the moment."

"Jamie, I -"

"Couldn't you call during my break? I have one in about an hour."

"Jamie, I need to -"

"Can't it wait? I mean -"

"JAMIE! Cathy's in labor!"

Jamie said nothing, his heart picking up speed. All thoughts flew from his mind, replaced with those three words.

_Cathy's in labor._

Those who were there that day heard a clatter as the phone fell to the ground, followed by the sight of the coffee shop's youngest employee launching himself over the counter, grabbing his coat and bag, and racing out the front door.

Jamie didn't even hear the manager calling after him. He shakily started his car and stepped on the gas pedal, heading toward the hospital.

* * *

"In and out…that's it, Mrs. Bradley…"

She was really starting to get annoyed with these nurses. There had been three hours of this. She didn't want to keep working with these contractions. She wanted this to be over. This was painful. They weren't the ones sweating profusely, with an overgrown stomach and inescapable agony coursing through her every second she breathed.

"Just keep breathing like that…in and out…"

She clutched the sheets, a new wave of contractions hitting her. The doctor had said a first-time mother took close to 14 hours to deliver her baby.

She tried to push that thought out of her head.

* * *

Of course he was stuck in traffic.

He honked the horn repeatedly, the truck in front never moving any faster.

He knew this would happen. It was his fault he wasn't there with her.

He sat back, waiting to change lanes at the next possible moment.

* * *

In. Out. Pain.

In. Out. Pain.

Seven hours down.

Seven hours to go.

In. Out. Pain.

In. Out. Pain.

* * *

Fucking parking ramps.

He had to remember where he was.

Level 2, section G.

Now how did he get out of here?

He ran to the nearest door, hoping for the best.

* * *

Where the fuck _was_ he?

In. Out. Pain.

* * *

Why was the hospital so big?

He got terrible service in here.

Shit.

* * *

She clamped her jaw, turning to Emma and Joyce.

"I'm going…to…KILL him!"

In. Out. Pain.

* * *

"Are you lost, sir?"

He nodded. "My wife's in labor, and -"

"Name?"

"Catherine Bradley."

He followed the nurse wordlessly, his mouth dry.

* * *

He finally appeared in the doorway, flushed and wild-eyed.

"Sorry…traffic…I…Cathy…"

She ground her teeth together. "Shut…up…Jamie."

* * *

It was a long seven hours.

It was a much longer forty minutes.

The pain only got worse, and Jamie was certain he'd never regain feeling in his hand.

Cathy continually made sounds like a strangled goat. Jamie was starting to feel lightheaded, his breathing inadvertently matching his wife's.

"Keep pushing, Mrs. Bradley!"

Her face was contorted in agony. She let out one last cry of anguish, and he found himself screaming with her.

And they were suddenly joined by a third.

* * *

"Cathy?"

She slowly opened her eyes, unable to move her body. "Hmmm?"

"Cathy? You awake?"

She nodded, trying to sit up.

"No, sweetheart." Jamie gently pushed her back down. "Practitioner says you need to rest."

"What…happened?" She blinked.

"You passed out. Happens a lot, I guess."

"Where…where is he?" She was awake now. She felt around her stomach; it was flat. It was so strange not to feel something moving around inside her. She felt empty.

"He's in an incubator. Whole thing took a lot out of you." He smiled weakly, gently stroking her cheek. "I can ask someone to get him. He'd love to meet his mum."

She nodded. "Would you, please?"

Five minutes later, Jamie approached the bed with a little bundle of blue blankets. Her heart beat just a little faster. 40 weeks and three days, and here he was. Their baby. She shifted a bit, making room for Jamie to sit beside her.

He had tears in his eyes. "Matthew Jonathon Bradley…someone wants to see you."

Cathy gently took the baby into her arms. Her throat immediately closed up as she gazed down at him. He had his eyes closed, but his face scrunched up every once in a while. His skin was tinged pink, most likely from the scrubbing he'd undergone; his cheeks especially were red. She could see little brown hairs poking out from under the blue hat on his head.

He was incredibly adorable.

It still hadn't sunken in that this tiny baby was hers and Jamie's. They'd helped to give this little boy life, and here he was, sleeping quietly in her arms.

"He's seven pounds, five ounces, twenty-one inches long," Jamie said. "Doctor says he's perfectly healthy, though he's been a bit fidgety. I think it's because he knew he wasn't near you."

Cathy nodded, holding Matthew closer to her heart. "He's so small," she whispered.

"That's what I said." Jamie laughed. "He's got your eyes. Don't know if he'll wake up…but they're exactly like yours."

"Well, he's got your nose, and your jaw," Cathy joked. "So he still looks like you."

"I knew he would." Jamie laughed, his heart swelling at the sight of his wife finally holding their son.

Cathy softly ran a finger across the baby's cheek. "Hi, Matthew," she said quietly. "It's your mum. I'm so happy to finally see you."

Baby Matthew squirmed a bit, letting out a tiny squeak and opening his eyes. Jamie had been right; a pair of beautiful blue eyes blinked back up at her. She was caught off-guard, still in awe that he was hers. They watched each other for a moment, the first looked of many they'd share.

"What did I tell you, Matt?" Jamie smiled. "She's beautiful, isn't she?"

Matthew squeaked again, turning his tiny gaze to his father. Cathy swore she could see a hint of a smile on his face.

"You're a lot better now, aren't you? You were really worried about your mum. You didn't know where she was."

Cathy tore her gaze from their son - _their son_ - to look at Jamie. "He was really that upset?"

He nodded. "I'd say so, at least. The doctor said all babies are like that, but he's calmed down a lot now."

She smiled. "Would you like to hold him for a bit?"

"Are…are you sure, sweetie? I mean, I've held him already…not for very long, but…"

"Jamie, honey, look at him. He wants his daddy."

He gave in, gently taking Matthew from Cathy. "Hey, Matt," he said quietly. "Hey, buddy."

Matthew worked a hand free from his blankets, making a fist. Jamie held out a finger, and Matthew grabbed on. "Oh, wow. He's got a grip."

Cathy giggled. "He wants you to stay here, apparently."

"Who said I was leaving?"

Cathy shrugged. "Well, I assumed you'd be going home. You must be exhausted, and I know the doctors want to keep me here for a few more days."

Jamie shook his head. "I can run home a few times during the day. I'm staying here at night, though." He handed Matthew back to Cathy. "I don't want to leave you alone."

"It won't be too bad, I'll be fine –"

"I'm staying during the nights," he repeated firmly. He lay down beside her, gathering her to his side and giving her a soft kiss. "It gets lonely when no one's here with you. Trust me."

She nuzzled his shoulder with her cheek, resting her head on his collarbone. "Thank you so much. I love you, Jamie," she said.

"I love you, too." He kissed her again, longer this time.

Cathy felt herself falling back asleep. She snuggled closer to Jamie's side, tightening her hold around Matthew, and finally drifted off.

Jamie kissed her forehead, smoothing her hair back. He watched as Matthew shut his tiny eyes, going back to sleep, his grip loosening. Jamie tucked his hand back into the blankets.

"I'm not going anywhere," he whispered, drawing both of them closer to his side as he closed his eyes. A few minutes later, three sets of soft breathing could be heard.


	32. Unlovable

_Context: I was having really severe mood swings today, and as a result, I spent the afternoon in my dorm room, crying my eyes out because I felt like no one cared about me. __I wrote this to channel some of my negative feelings somewhere other than feeling sorry for myself. I realize now that yes, I am loved and that people care. It just gets hard sometimes because I'm very sensitive and take things way too personally...and when my hormones are out of control._

_Dedicated to all of my friends and followers who have ever felt like this or feel like this right now. Please remember that someone loves you and someone needs you, even if you don't think so._

* * *

Unlovable

"I have decided to become a shut-in for the rest of my life. Good thing I've stocked up on biscuits."

Jamie shook his head, staring at his phone. He usually checked Facebook on his breaks, but never paid much attention to anything anyone said. Unless, of course, it was something like this.

What was most troubling was that his wife's name headed the page. He hadn't heard from her all day, and she hadn't answered the text he'd sent a few minutes ago.

He dialed her number right before his break ended. It went straight to voicemail.

"Cathy, it's me. I'm a bit worried. Please call me?"

…

He didn't hear from her the rest of the day. He was about ready to phone his mother or Stuart or Emma and ask if they knew what was wrong. If she wasn't at home, he'd really start to worry. Only then.

He opened the front door to their flat, hearing nothing. "Cathy?"

No answer.

"Cathy?" He hung his bag and coat on the hook next to the door.

He was again greeted by silence.

Shaking his head, Jamie headed upstairs to the nursery. Maybe she'd gone out and taken Matthew with? But her shoes were by the front door, so…

Matthew was sleeping soundly in his crib, his little nose twitching every now and then. Jamie smiled, softly running a finger over the baby's cheek.

"You know where Mummy is?" he whispered. "Did she have a bad day?"

He could have slapped himself for being such an idiot. He pulled Matthew's blanket to his chin and took off down the hallway. Sure enough, the bedroom door was closed. He twisted the knob and went in.

Cathy was sitting in bed, her oversized sweatshirt practically swallowing her small form. Her eyes were glued to the TV, watching some loud trash he'd never even seen before. She breathed him, sniffling; he hadn't even noticed that her eyes were red-rimmed and her cheeks were slightly flushed.

He wordlessly took the remote from the bedside table and turned the TV off. She didn't even flinch when he stood over her.

"Sweetheart…?"

It was as if he hadn't even spoken. She continued to stare at the wall, eyes glazed.

"Is there a reason you're home early today? I tried texting you and calling, but you didn't answer."

She shrugged, still saying nothing.

"I was getting worried, you know."

"Were you?" Her voice was flat, thick from crying.

"Yes…" He frowned. "Of course I was."

Cathy glanced at him for a second before pulling the hood of her sweatshirt over her head, covering her eyes. She hugged her knees, burying her face in her arms.

"Cathy…" He sat down beside her. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head, saying nothing.

"Cathy, can you please…"

"No," she said, her voice muffled by her arms. "You don't care. No one cares!"

"Why wouldn't I care?" He blinked, confused. "You're not making any sense."

"No one ever cares, Jamie." She set her chin on her knees. "I've decided to stay in the house from now on."

"And why are you going to do that?"

"No one ever likes my statuses on Facebook, and -"

"Wait." He held up a hand. "This is all because of Facebook?"

Cathy bit her lip. "No…"

"You're upset because people don't like what you say on Facebook."

She turned away. "So?"

He snickered. "Cathy, that's…that's not something to get your knickers in a twist over."

She slapped his arm. "It's not funny, Jamie! Do you know how lonely I feel sometimes?"

"Because no one likes your stuff on Facebook?" he asked, trying to stifle his laughter.

"It's not just that. My co-workers, for the most part, don't talk to me. They're all older than me. I've only got one friend I can talk to."

"So? That's one person, isn't it? And what about Leanne and Denise?"

"I hardly get to see them, or Stuart, or anyone else because we're always so busy." She shook her head. "And when I try to say something interesting, no one even bothers to listen to me."

"Cathy, that's not even true -"

"Yes it is! Look at my Facebook wall right now."

Jamie sighed, humoring her by taking his phone out. "Fine. But I don't see how this is going to prove a point."

"Just look. How many likes does my last status have?"

"Um…none."

"There you go."

"Well, now you have one, see?" He pressed the screen.

"That doesn't count," she said, smiling a bit.

"Maybe no one's seen it yet."

"Or maybe they just don't think I'm interesting. My cousin Valerie always gets likes on whatever she says. I'm lucky if one person likes what I have to say."

Jamie rolled his eyes. "Cathy, who cares? It's a stupid website. Honestly, who gives a fuck if someone ate a doughnut this morning?"

"But that means she's popular, Jamie. She has more people who like what she says. No one ever cares about me or what I think." She sniffed, a few tears falling from her eyes. "I'm unlovable."

Jamie fell silent for a moment. They sat side-by-side, neither of them moving. He finally shifted, sitting in front of her. He tilted her chin upward so that she was looking right at him.

"Catherine Lorina Bradley, you are one of the most lovable people I've ever met. You don't have to worry about Facebook or how many friends you have to know that. You just need to remember that you have parents and a sister who love you, and you have close friends who will always care about what you have to say.

"And you seem to have forgotten you're married to a strikingly handsome gentleman who will never stop loving you, and that you have a son who can't be more than fifty feet away from you because he'll miss you too much if he is. You need to stop being so hard on yourself and remember that you are perfect just the way you are."

She was crying now; he could tell, even if her eyes were hidden by the rim of her hood. He pushed it off of her head, her hair sticking out at odd angles. He smoothed it down before brushing away her tears with his thumbs.

"You feeling better, love?"

She nodded. "A bit, yeah." She took a shuddering breath. "It's just…hard sometimes."

"I know it is." He pulled her to his chest, kissing her forehead. "I feel that way myself sometimes. But I count my blessings every time, as cheesy as that sounds."

"I…I think that's a good idea." She lifted her head, smiling.

He returned her smile, kissing her. "You and Matt are always at the top."

"Of course we are." She smirked, mimicking his voice. "We're fantastic."

Jamie couldn't help the laughter that escaped him, and he tackled his wife, tickling her. After a few minutes, it quickly turned into a heated kissing session, but Cathy broke away to retrieve Matthew from his crib before Jamie was able to remove her sweatshirt.

"I was all prepared to cheer you up," he said, pouting slightly as she sat back down.

"Well, you can cheer me up by just laying with me and Matt. Shouldn't be too hard, I hope."

He sighed dramatically. "If that's what you really want."

"It is."

He was about to protest when Matthew started to giggle, grabbing at the front of Cathy's sweatshirt. Jamie watched as she smiled down at their son, allowing him to play with her finger.

"He's saying he loves you," Jamie said, moving closer.

"I love you, too, Matt." Cathy softly tapped Matthew's nose, causing him to laugh. She looked over her shoulder at Jamie. "And I love you, as well, Mr. Strikingly Handsome Gentleman I'm married to."

Jamie drew them to his side, kissing Cathy full on the lips. "And I love you. See what I mean? You, my darling, are most definitely lovable."


	33. Learning from the Past

**_This actually came to me in the shower. I guess that's where I get all my ideas._ _I thought it'd be interesting to look at how Jamie's time in jail affected him, at least a little bit. So here's some angst and fluff and general Camie that everyone loves._**

* * *

Learning from the Past

_"Bradley."_

_He'd learned to answer to his last name. His head immediately jerked upward, one of the prison guards unlocking the cell door._

_"I assume I don't have to relay the rules to you, do I?"_

_He shook his head, setting aside the book he had in his hands. _

_"Alright, then. Let's go."_

_He stood, following the guard down the dingy hallway. A few wolf whistles sounded from the nearby cells, accompanied by some wolfish grins. "Get it, Bradley!" _

_He said nothing, fighting the blush that reached the tips of his ears. He hated how small the community here was; everyone knew everyone else's business, and of course they all knew who visited him nearly every week._

_They entered the room with the phone bank, and he took his usual seat at the third one from the left. He sat straight, hands folded on the table in front of him, watching for the door on the other side of the glass to open. He felt his palms sweat as he waited, swallowing hard and trying to ignore the guard who stood a few feet behind him._

_Light shone in as the door opened. Another guard walked in, and there she was, following timidly behind. He felt his heart skip a few beats, much as it always did when he saw her. They had precious few hours together each week, and he cherished ever second he had in her presence._

_He picked up the phone, holding it to his ear._

_"Hey, Cathy."_

_"Hi, Jamie."_

* * *

_They could talk about anything in the two hours they were allotted, and they tried to keep thing interesting. It wasn't as if Jamie's time in prison was particularly exciting, and Cathy was still taking classes at uni, meaning she was inside learning for most of the week. But they managed, especially since Cathy had started lending Jamie some books to pass the time._

_"So how are you liking Agnes Grey?"_

_"She just left Horton Lodge to teach with her mum. She's never gonna see that Weston bloke again, is she?"_

_"It picks up, don't worry."_

_"When? She never goes for him. He's perfectly single, and she lets him drift away."_

_"Just keep at it, okay? I have another book for you, since you're almost done." She held up a thick blue volume. "I finally found it on Emma's bookshelf."_

_"Took you long enough. I have to get caught up, now that I've seen all the movies."_

_"This one's a bit lengthy, and Harry gets angsty, fair warning."_

_"I think I can take it." He glanced sadly at the clock on the wall, realizing it was five minutes to three. "I…suppose we should…"_

_"Right." She blinked, realizing the book would't fit under the slit of space in the window; she set it aside, sliding the fingers of her right hand through. His breath hitched as he moved his left hand to meet her, their fingers lightly brushing. _

_"I'll be back next week, alright?"_

_He nodded, unable to say more. He stood, looking imploringly at the guard on his side of the glass. "Could…could we…"_

_The guard unlocked the door leading to the other side. "Make it quick."_

_Jamie felt his heart leap into his throat as he walked over the threshold, taking in Cathy's startled face. He brushed it off, striding forward and bringing her into the circle of his arms._

_It was rare that the guards would let them do this. Usually he wouldn't eve ask, but today he needed to feel her here, not just hear her voice, not just touch her fingers under the glass. It was difficult to see her each week, knowing he couldn't be with her like this, longing to have her on the other side of the glass, if only to hold her hand._

_He could feel her arms clinging to him, her face buried in his shoulder, her entire body wracked with sobs. He rubbed soothing circles on her back. "Come on, now, Cathy…it's alright…"_

_"I miss you," she choked out, her voice muffled._

_"I miss you, too." He felt his eyes burn, swallowing his tears. "It's just a few more months, yeah? Just a few more months."_

_She pressed her cheek to his chest, breathing in. She didn't say more; her voice was gone as she continued to cry._

_"Alright, miss." The guard on the other side of the room opened the door. "I'll escort you out."_

_Cathy's grip tightened, but Jamie gently pried her off, holding her hands in his. "I'll see you in a week," he said, brushing some of her tears with his thumb. He brought her nearer, giving her a kiss; he could feel her tears staining his face._

_"I love you," she whispered into his lips. _

_"Love you, too." He let go, watching her as she followed the guard out of the room. She turned back, giving him a sad smile before the door shut. _

_He bit his lip, grabbing the book she'd forgotten to give to him. He walked back into the room with the phone bank, another prisoner now sitting in one of the chairs. From the smug look on his face, Jamie was sure he'd seen the entire exchange._

_"So. The rumors are true, then."_

_"None of your business."_

_"Isn't that just precious, though? Big, tough, couldn't-care-less Jamie Bradley has himself a little friend waiting for him once he gets out."_

_"Knock it off, Gerald."_

_"Tell me, did you cut a hole through the glass so she can blow you? Isn't that against the rules?"_

_"Goddammit, Gerald!" Jamie lunged for him, the guard holding him back. _

_"Oh, that's a laugh, isn't it? You getting some while in here. No wonder you're always so happy when she visits."_

_"Shut the hell up!" _

_"Or what? What are you gonna do about it?" Another guard had restrained Gerald, keeping him in his chair. "Best come forward and say what's really going on between you two."_

_"That's enough, Gerald," the guard beside him said. "Your mother will be in shortly."_

_"Let me know how much I should pay her, Bradley. It'd be nice to have some action around here."_

_Jamie broke free of the guard's hold, grabbing Gerald around the neck. "YOU SON OF A FUCKING BITCH!"_

_The guards separated them, Jamie faintly hearing something about sedatives and how he'd be put in solitary until he'd calmed down. Gerald was being led away, as well, and Jamie caught the smirk on his face before the door closed._

* * *

"Jamie?"

He jerked awake, breathing heavily. "Huh? What?"

"You were groaning in your sleep." She rubbed her arm. "And you were lashing out."

He sat up, immediately pulling her to him. "Sorry."

"You were asleep, you did't know." She placed a hand on his forearm. "You want to talk?"

"Just remembering." He swallowed. "Prison."

"Honey…it's alright."

"No. I don't…no." He frowned. "Don't try that with me. You know I don't like it."

"You're right, you're right." She sighed. "Sweetheart, that's behind you now. You're not going back there, you're never going back, I promise."

Jamie nodded, laying them back down. "I hate remembering what they'd say about you. How…vulgar they were…"

"Shhh, just go back to sleep." Cathy brushed his hair off of his forehead. "Try not to think about it." She grasped his hand. "I'm right here if you need me."

He cracked a small smile. "Thank you."

* * *

Jamie went about a year without putting too much thought into that night. He'd been coping well, at least his counselor said he was; Cathy seemed to think so, too, so he just went with it.

Today was a pretty good day so far, in his terms. He and Cathy and baby Matt were out with Stuart, Leanne and the kids, spending the day at the mall. He and Stuart were now camped out in the food court with Jack and Matt, while Leanne and Cathy took Stacy and Daisy on a "girls only" shopping period.

"Uncle Jamie? How does Matt know when to stop drinking?"

"When he's full." He shrugged. "He stops when he doesn't want any more, just like anyone else."

"No way!" Jack stood on his seat, despite his father's protests for him to sit properly. "You just make him drink all that, and then he's done!"

"Nope. He lets me know."

"I don't believe you." Jack folded his arms.

"Okay, then. Watch."

They waited a few moments, watching Matt continue to suckle his bottle. Soon his nose scrunched, his tiny hands pushing it away. Jamie smirked, turning back to his nephew. "See?"

"He's not that smart," Jack grumbled grudgingly.

"Sure he is."

"Is not!"

"Jack, come on now." Stuart lifted his son off his feet and sat him down. "Quit bothering your uncle."

"I wasn't bothering him."

"He's fine, Stu."

"Jack, you need to behave yourself, or I won't get you lunch."

"Daaaad!"

"Stu. That's awful!"

Stuart sighed. "Jack, we're in public, you know better."

"I'm sorry, Dad. Please, I'll be good."

"Just get him lunch, Stu. He wasn't doing anything wrong."

"Fine. Come on, Jack." He stood. "You want anything, Jamie?"

"Just get me whatever."

Jack raced off, Stuart lingering behind. "You gonna be alright here, then?"

"Oh, yeah. Gotta burp this one."

"Okay. You've been…doing alright, yeah?"

"Yeah…why?"

"Just wanted to know." He placed a hand on Jamie's shoulder. "Cathy keeps me updated on your counseling and such. You've come a long way. Keep at it, yeah?"

Jamie nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."

He watched Stuart leave, thoroughly confused. He was about to go after him when he heard Matt's tiny burp. He lifted him off of his shoulder. "You tired now, Matt?" he asked, cradling his son. "You need a nap, bud?"

Matt yawned in response, his blue eyes disappearing under his lids. Jamie set him back into the carrier, rocking it gently. He sat in silence for a moment before it hit him.

Stuart had been right in saying he'd come a long way. In just a short amount of time, he'd done so much, rethought the way he would live and how he'd make decisions. He'd gotten married, and now he had a child to raise. And to think, almost four years ago, he'd been in a prison cell.

It was all a bit much for him to take in, and he stared down in front of him, taking deep breaths. He'd calmed down a bit when he saw someone out of the corner of his eye.

"Jamie? Sweetheart, are you alright?"

He nodded. "Just a bit out of sorts." He breathed in. "Where are…"

"They're ordering with Stu and Jack. I came over to see how you and Matt were doing." She placed a hand over his. "You sure you're okay?"

He nodded again. "I will be, at least."

"Were you thinking about prison again?"

"Sort of." He sucked in a breath before slowly letting it out. "Just thinking about how…how different things are now. I never would have guessed that we'd…we'd be together…and…"

He trailed off, staring down at their hands. She'd laced the fingers of her right hand with his left, his wedding ring, blinking in the overhead lights. He quickly glanced at her ring finger on her left hand, studying the rosy hue of the engagement band and the gold of the wedding ring that complimented his own.

"…and now we have a son," he added quietly, glancing down at Matt.

He heard her swallow, looking back at her. She blinked, a few tears escaping. "You know I'm proud of you, right?"

"I…yes?"

"You've been so strong through all of this." She moved to sit beside him. "And I'm so proud of you for facing what scares you." She squeezed his hand gently, smiling. "You've been so brave."

"I…I don't feel brave."

"Trust me, you are." She leaned forward, kissing him. "You're very brave. You always have been."

Jamie kissed her again, and that was the moment Matt chose to wake up from his short-lived nap. Cathy lifted him into her arms, rocking him back and forth.

"Way to kill the mood, Matt," Jamie mumbled, chuckling.

"He just wanted to tell you he's just as proud of you as I am." Cathy giggled. "Tell Daddy how wonderful he is, sweetie."

Matt grabbed one of Jamie's fingers, blinking up at his father and smiling. Jamie kissed his son's nose, smiling just as widely.

"Thanks for believing in me, Matt," Jamie said, running his thumb over the baby's cheek. "You and your mum are just as amazing."

Cathy placed Matt back in his carrier and moved toward her husband again, kissing him. "We do try. We have a lot to live up to, of course."

"I think you're doing just fine," he replied, feeling cheeky and deepening the kiss.

Of course, they had to break apart when their nieces and nephew came back with food, complaining about how disgusting they were being, especially in public. But even after their quiet moment ended, Jamie couldn't help but smile. It hadn't been easy, but somehow he'd made it out of a rough patch in his life. And for the first time in his life, Jamie Bradley took his wife's words to heart and honestly felt brave.


	34. My Darling Catherine

_Context: More pictures of The Host inspired this._

* * *

My Darling Catherine

_His hands trembled as he knelt beside her, trying to calm his racing heart. It wasn't her, it couldn't be. She was alright, she wasn't here, she was safe -_

_There was a huge gash on her forehead, blood seeping into her hair. Her breathing was labored, her throat making a strange rattling sound. There was no denying that it was her; the film over both of her eyes didn't hinder him from knowing the truth._

_"Cathy…"_

_She turned her glazed expression to him, saying nothing, just breathing, that awful shaking rattle escaping her throat. _

_No…_

_"She's dying, Jamie." Someone else was nearby, but he couldn't see anyone. "She's going to die."_

_No. She wasn't. She couldn't. There was just black surrounding them; there was nowhere to go. But that wouldn't stop him. He'd get her help. He'd save her._

_He was trembling harder, making it difficult for him to take her in his arms. She felt heavier than normal, but he gritted his teeth against the pain, stumbling forward. He blindly walked through the darkness, his wife's blank face the only thing visible._

_"Jamie, she can't be saved," the voice came again. "You can't save her."_

_No. He could do it. He needed to get help. His feet were lead, and he could barely walk, but he pressed on. _

_"She's gone, Jamie."_

_NO!_

_He'd screamed it this time. He looked upward, a patch of light shining onto them. "No," he repeated. "I won't let you take her. No…"_

_"Jamie, give up."_

_He collapsed onto his knees, the pain in his arms unbearable. He refused to let go of her, searching her face for a sign of life. _

_"Cathy, look at me. Cathy…sweetie, come on. Wake up…wake up, please…"_

_Her breathing was slower, her eyes still vacant. She convulsed violently, shuddering in his hold._

_"Cathy, please…" He pushed her bloodied hair out of her face, his voice choked with tears. "Please don't leave me. Cathy, stay with me…come on, now, stay awake…"_

_She weakly grabbed his hand, her mouth slowly turning up at the corners. "It's okay." Her voice was barely above a whisper, scratchy and rough._

_"No…it's not." He watched the little life there was in her eyes slowly disappear. "Cathy…Cathy, no. Come back. COME BACK!"_

* * *

"Come…back…"

Jamie awoke with a jerk, hitting his head on his nightstand. He slowly sat up, feeling a bump form behind his ear as he rubbed the sore spot. His other hand shot out, feeling nothing but bunched-up sheets. His blood ran cold.

Fuck.

He had to calm down. It was just a nightmare, and she was going to the bathroom. She'd be back, and then he could wrap her in his arms and kiss her forehead and hold her close and know she was there beside him.

Five minutes later, and she hadn't come back.

He shakily stood, trying not to fall over as he passed the bathroom and walked into the hallway. He swallowed a few times, fighting the urge to break down. He wasn't going to be weak.

No lights were on downstairs, and there was only one other place she'd be this late at night. He walked to the end of the hall, light pooling out from under the closed door. He gently turned the knob, quietly opening the door.

Cathy sat in the rocking chair next to the crib, cradling Matthew and singing softly. Her pajama top was askew, both straps sliding down her shoulders; Matt must have been hungry. He was still awake, his blue eyes never leaving his mother's face.

"You feeling better, Matt?" Cathy ran the pad of her thumb over the baby's cheek. "You ready to go back to bed?"

He yawned in response, wriggling slightly as his eyelids drooped. Cathy giggled, kissing his tiny nose and standing up. She laid him back in the crib, pulling the large knitted blanket over him.

"Good night, Matt. I love you."

And then she screamed.

Jamie had unconsciously moved further into the room, startling his wife - and his son, who immediately woke up and began crying. Cathy took him back into her arms, trying to calm him.

"Jamie, what on earth are you doing up?"

"I…uh…"

"Why did you sneak up on me? You know I don't like that." She kissed Matthew's head, whispering soothing sounds in his ear as he began to quiet down. "Is everything alright?"

He shrugged. "Dunno."

"You don't know?" Her brow furrowed. "What do you mean you -"

Jamie didn't let her finish. He strode forward and drew both of them close, holding them tight and biting his lip to prevent any tears from escaping.

"Jamie, what's going on?"

"Nothing. I just want you to know I…I love you, and I love Matt."

"…Right." She gently pulled away, laying a now sleeping Matthew back in the crib. "And you had to get out of bed and startle me to tell me that?"

"So what if I did?"

She sighed, turning off the lamp on the table and taking his hand, leading him back to their room. She turned on her table-side lamp and sat in bed, looking him in the eye. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Jamie, I'd like to get back to bed. Would you please let me know what's bothering you?"

"I'm fine." He wasn't going to worry her, not this late at night. She didn't deserve that.

"Dammit, Jamie!" She folded her arms, sighing. "I know I'm usually not so pushy, but it's a bit worrisome when you show up unannounced in our son's room just to tell me you love me." She paused, laying her hand over his. "What's wrong?"

He didn't answer her right away. He looked down at their hands, entwining them and watching Cathy's engagement ring catch the light. He exhaled slowly, too tired to keep pushing down his urge to cry.

"I had a nightmare. You were…hurt. Badly. And…I tried to save you, but…I couldn't…and then you…" He stopped, feeling his tears run down his cheeks and onto the skin of his forearm.

Cathy shifted closer, pulling him to her. He rested his head on her shoulder, allowing himself to cry, allowing himself to be vulnerable for once.

"Sweetheart, it's alright." Cathy rubbed his back, holding him tighter. "It was just a dream."

"I…d-don't…I don't want…t-to…lose you…" He coughed a bit, taking deep breaths.

"You won't lose me. I'm right here. Everything's okay."

He raised his head, trying to see her through his blurred vision "But…b-but what if…"

"Shhhhhh." She kissed his cheek, brushing away the trails his tears had left. "Nothing's going to happen to me."

"But…"

"Jamie, look at me." Her gaze was steady as she spoke. "I know that life can be unpredictable sometimes, but you can't worry about what could happen. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. I'm perfectly alright. Nothing's going to happen to me, or you. I promise."

He nodded, sniffling as she kissed his cheek again. "I love you."

"I know." She smiled. "I love you, too. Very much."

He pulled her to him again, pressing their lips together gently. He broke away after a moment, there foreheads together. "I'll never let anything happen to you, Cathy. My darling Catherine."

She giggled slightly, kissing him lightly again. "And I won't let anything happen to you. I care too much." She leaned into him, rubbing his left arm. "Not that that's a bad thing."

"No, it's not." He laid them down, snuggling closer. "Not in the slightest."

They lay awake for a while longer before Cathy drifted off. Jamie secured her in his arms, listening to the soft, even breathing that told him his wife had fallen asleep. He watched her for a moment, kissing her head before closing his eyes.

In the morning, he wasn't surprised that they were spooning; he was, however, stunned that this time around, Cathy was the big spoon.


	35. Into The Open Air

_Context: I decided to try something new. Takes place a few months after Matthew is born._

___Dedicated to Lois Lowry, for writing 40 books and still going strong, and making my underrated OTP canon. And for the names, as well. _

_For Kerri, for being the first reader and always being so sweet. :3_

* * *

Into The Open Air

Cafe Bene had a breakfast bar along the back wall, facing away from the rest of the tables. Most people who came by themselves sat there, shutting out the rest of the world with their newspapers and earbuds. Jamie had dubbed it The Loner Bar.

He always felt bad for them, the ones who chose to sit with their backs to the rest of the shop. He always wondered why they liked to be alone, but he never asked. He may have been curious, but he wasn't nosy.

At least…he wasn't nosy when it came to most of them. There was one exception to that unspoken rule.

"Just talk to her."

The boy shook his head vehemently. "Mr. Bradley, I _can't_."

"It's Jamie, remember? And why can't you?"

"Because." He turned back to his laptop screen. "It's complicated."

Jamie rolled his eyes. "What's so complicated about it? There's a girl, you like her, you should go talk to her."

The only answer he received was the tap-tap-tap of the keyboard.

Jonas Tyler had been a regular long before Jamie started working here. He was a uni student, majoring in English and never seen without his trusty laptop. Jamie had learned quickly to keep conversation away from embarrassing topics; as an aspiring writer, Jonas was always on the lookout for something to keep his fingers busy on the keyboard. "You never know when you'll get inspiration," he'd say.

Jamie pushed on the lid on Jonas's computer, shutting it. "Come on, Joe. I'm serious."

Jonas bit his lip. "Maybe I'm not interested. Ever think of that?" His bright blue eyes darted around for a moment, a nervous habit of his.

"Right. You're always so careful to not be caught watching her, and you're not interested."

"Exactly."

Jamie took a sip of his tea. "I'm trying to help you, Joe. You might as well tell me, or otherwise I'll -"

"You're not helping me."

Jamie stared at the young man for a moment. "What?"

Jonas opened his computer again, his eyes glued to the screen as he spoke. "You're not helping me."

Jamie blinked, stunned. "What…what do you mean? Do you not want me to talk to you?" He scoffed. "You know, I didn't have to come over and talk to you. I just figured you looked kind of lonely and you needed someone to hang out with, but I can just easily leave -"

"I see the way she looks at you."

He was silent, brown furrowed in confusion. "_What?_"

Jonas chuckled and continued to type. "Mr. Bradley, I know you're married and all, but sometimes I wonder if that's what blinds you from everyone else."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Jonas was about to answer, but was cut off by the beeper on Jamie's watch. "You'll have to figure it out another time," he said wryly. "Duty calls."

* * *

Jamie thought about Jonas's words for the rest of his shift. Why couldn't he stop being so confusing and just _tell _him what the problem was? He couldn't very well help him out if he didn't know what was going on.

He noticed that she was late today. Jonas sat for another hour before she came in. He immediately smoothed his hair and sat up straighter, pretending to be engrossed in his writing.

"What can I get you, Kira?" Jamie asked. "The usual?"

Kira Garrin pushed her glasses up her nose, nodding. "Yes, please."

"You want whipped cream?"

She smiled. "Of course."

"Alright. That'll be three fifty-seven. It'll be ready in five minutes."

She paid him, glancing nervously at his face. She chose a seat a few chairs down from Jonas, taking a book out of her messenger bag. Jamie couldn't help but notice that she continually looked toward the front counter.

_She must really want her hot chocolate, _he thought.

Jonas was still typing when Jamie was walking over to her seat.

"If you want, I can talk to her for you."

Jonas sighed. "Wouldn't hurt, I suppose. Just don't arch your eyebrows, okay?"

"Why would I…?"

Jonas was back to writing before he could finish his question. Jamie shrugged and walked to where Kira was reading.

"Here you are: medium hot chocolate with whipped cream."

"Thanks." She carefully set her book down, taking the plastic cup from him. She immediately averted her eyes, her face steadily growing pinker.

"So how's the reading coming?"

"Well, Ernest Hemingway may be easy to read, but he's difficult to understand." She giggled loudly, quickly glancing behind him before looking back at her drink.

Jamie nodded. He'd dropped out of secondary school; he had no clue who Ernest Hemingway was. He always pretended to listen when Jonas went on a rant about him.

"Well, I'm personally not a fan, but my friend Jonas is." He gestured down the bar. "He comes here often."

"Oh, right." Her cheeks were fully red now. "He's the one with the laptop."

Jamie perked up. So she knew him. "Yes. That's him." He cleared his throat. "Listen, he has a hard time making friends, and I'm trying to get him to open up, so I was wondering if you'd maybe…"

Kira began to wind a strand of auburn hair around her finger. "I wouldn't want to disturb him," she said to the bar top. "He's always so engrossed in typing."

"Jonas wouldn't mind."

Kira shook her head. "I'll think about it." She looked him in the eye, smiling. "I think it's time to get back to work." She raised her voice slightly. "I wouldn't want to be the reason you get in trouble for neglecting your job." She glanced over his shoulder again, a look of disappointment crossing her face.

"Right…" Jamie gazed quizzically at her for a moment before walking back behind the counter, feeling her eyes boring into the back of his head the entire time.

He'd figured it out.

* * *

"Cathy?"

"Yes, dear?"

Jamie shifted in bed, sitting up against the headboard. "Did you ever have a crush on someone?"

Cathy giggled, amused. "No, of course not. That's why I'm married to you."

"I meant did you ever have a crush on an adult. Like a professor or…" He swallowed. "An employee at a coffee shop."

Cathy's grin widened. "Are you trying to tell me someone fancies you, Jamie?"

Jamie folded his arms. "It's not funny," he mumbled.

"I didn't say it was." She hugged him around the waist, resting her forehead on his shoulder. "It's cute."

"What's cute about it? She's not some eight-year-old, Cathy. She's a uni student, who obviously needs to get her eyes checked if she can't see my ring _or _the fact that there's a perfectly nice guy who's interested in her."

"So someone likes her?"

"Jonas Tyler, the shy bloke I keep telling you about."

"He's the one with the computer, right?"

"Yes." He was about to go on when Matthew's cries interrupted him.

"Has he tried talking to her?" Cathy called as she walked out of the room.

"No, he refuses. He doesn't want my help, either. He knows that she's got a thing for me."

Cathy reappeared a moment later, cradling Matthew and settling back into bed. "Could you hold him for a second?" she asked, lifting up her pajama shirt.

Jamie smirked. "Picked a great time to be hungry, Matt."

Cathy swatted his arm, taking Matthew back and holding him to her breast. "I believe we were talking about something else."

"You can't expect me to focus when you're doing that."

"Get used to it." She gave him a stern look. "So Jonas doesn't want to pursue her because he knows she likes you. He knows you're married, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, then, he shouldn't feel very threatened."

"Apparently he does." Jamie ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe he thinks she'll never get over me or something."

"What did you say her name was again?"

"Her name's Kira. Kira Garrin."

Cathy's eyes widened. "You're talking about little Kira Garrin?"

Jamie slowly nodded. "Do you know her?"

"She sees Dr. Carlson every Saturday morning. She's one of the patients I get to work closely with. She has high anxiety and is very shy when it comes to boys."

"Really?"

"She asks me about that a lot. And…funny thing is, she _knows _who you are and that you're my husband. I remember showing her a picture and telling her a bit about you."

"So…if she knows all that, then why does she fancy me? I mean, it's a bit of a lost cause, isn't it?"

Matthew started to whimper, squirming in Cathy's hold. She placed his face on her shoulder, patting his back. "Girls are odd sometimes, sweetie. The lengths we'll go to for love are absolutely -" She stopped, a sly smile creeping onto her face.

"Cathy?" Jamie peered at his wife. "Are…are you alright?"

"Jamie, do you know what Kira and I discussed the other day? She was curious about how to get someone to notice her. And at some point, the idea of making someone jealous came up."

"So?"

Cathy rolled her eyes just as Matthew burped. "Jamie, I'm fairly certain Kira's using you."

"Using me? That's ridiculous! There's no way. James Andrew Bradley does _not _get used."

Cathy leveled a look with him. "Honey, I think I know more about how her mind works than you do. She's trying to make him jealous."

Jamie sighed, defeated. "Well, what am I supposed to do about it?"

"First, you can stop pouting about it." She smiled, kissing his cheek. "And second, I have an idea that I'll run by you tomorrow."

Jamie frowned. "Why not now?"

Matthew yawned, snuggling into Cathy's shoulder. "You're forgetting he's only a couple of months old. He's going to be up at around four or five. You'll need your sleep." She walked out of the room to put him back in his crib.

"Remind me why I'm getting up that early?"

"Because you're his father!" she called.

"You breastfeed him!" he shot back.

"It's your turn!"

"Well…" He paused as she came back in. "You're the one who seduced me that night."

"You're the one who insisted on the bed sheet," she reminded him, crawling under the covers.

"You're the one who finds it sexy," he murmured, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"And what's the harm in that?"

"Nothing," he said, turning off the light and resting his chin in the crook of her neck. "Absolutely nothing."

* * *

He tapped his fingers against the counter. Thirty seconds until his break. Where was she?

This wasn't going to work. It was a terrible idea. He should just forget about it and focus on -

There she was. She waved at him through the window. He smiled back, untying his apron.

"I'm on break!" he called into the backroom, walking out from behind the counter. He arched an eyebrow as he approached her. "And what brings you here? You take the day off or something?"

"Something like that. My husband needed my help, and I brought lunch." She narrowed her eyes. "Of course, I could always go back home if he's not feeling up to it." She glanced down at the baby carrier in her hand. "I know Matt was looking forward to visiting his daddy at work."

He laughed. "I've got our own private booth," he said, walking over to the corner. "And we've a whole hour, since it's a full shift today."

Jame peered into the carrier. "Hey, Matt." He gently kissed the baby's nose. "How's my boy? You excited to visit Daddy?"

Matthew giggled, wriggling excitedly and clapping his hands.

"I wish Mummy was this excited to see me," he said, straightening and pulling Cathy to him by her waist.

"Who says I'm not?" She kissed him quickly, but soundly enough to leave him breathless. "I brought turkey on rye, your favorite."

Jamie reluctantly let go, lifting Matthew into the baby seat that sat beside the table. "Extra tomatoes?"

"And pickles," she added, unloading the lunch bags on the table. "I brought a bottle for Matt, just in case he's hungry."

"Well, we may be here a while." He sighed. "So be glad you packed a lot of food."

Ten minutes later, Jonas walked in. He took his usual place, glancing quizzically at Jamie before focusing on his laptop screen.

"Is that him?" Cathy asked, taking a handful of potato crisps from the bag.

Jamie nodded. "That's Jonas."

"He's cute."

Jamie gave her a look.

"Not as cute as you." She softly squeezed his hand. "But it's really no wonder Kira's taken a liking to him."

"Speaking of her…" Jamie nodded at the door just as Kira entered. "You ready?"

"Are you?"

He scoffed. "I'm always ready."

Kira ordered her usual hot chocolate, glancing around before her eyes rested on Jamie and Cathy. She walked over, looking slightly put-out.

"Hello, Dr. Cathy," she said, scuffing the floor with her foot. "I…I didn't know you'd be here today."

"I thought I'd take the afternoon off and visit." She glanced at Jamie. "It's been a while since we've had a proper lunch together."

"That's…sweet." Kira looked over her shoulder at the bar, quickly turning away. "I, um…well, it was nice to…"

"We know about Jonas," Jamie said bluntly.

Kira froze. "What…what are you talking about?" She shook her head. "I don't…"

"That's why you were trying to flirt with me, right? You knew it would drive him crazy."

Kira's face steadily grew redder. "I…"

"Jamie." Cathy glared at him before turning to Kira. "When we talked about methods to get a boy's attention, I didn't think you'd actually try making him jealous."

Kira shrugged. "I didn't know what else to do, alright?" She looked at Jonas. "He's always so engrossed in that thing." Her shoulders slumped. "So what's the use? He doesn't know who I am."

Jamie chuckled. "Kira, trust me. He knows who you are. And he's noticed you talking to me."

"How do you know?"

"I talk to him. Which is what you should be doing."

Kira winced. "I can't. He…he won't want to."

"Remember what I told you last week?" Cathy asked her. "Don't go to the worst-case scenario right away. Just try it and see what happens."

"He likes you, Kira," Jamie assured. "He's just a little shy to approach you, is all."

Kira bit her lip, staring at the ground for a minute. Finally, she sighed. "Alright. I'll try. But if it doesn't work, I'm leaving."

* * *

"Well, it's time for me to get back to work." Jamie gently stroked Matthew's cheek. "I enjoyed having you visit, Matt. Be good to your mum, okay?"

Cathy settled Matthew back into his carrier and buttoned her coat. "This was fun. I think we should do this more often."

"Well, it's not every day I get an hour off from shift and you get the afternoon to yourself."

She laughed. "Then more lunch dates on the weekends, then."

"I like that idea."

"I'll see you at home." She pulled him into her arms. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he murmured, kissing her forehead. "Have a safe walk home."

Before she left, they both glanced over to The Loner Bar. Jonas had his laptop closed for once; he was currently engaged in a conversation with Kira, making her giggle and fiddle with a strand of her hair. They both had huge smiles on their faces.


	36. The Nightmare

_Context: Seeing that gif of Jamie and Amy going around inspired this. And I suppose I owe part of it to the various screencaps of Saoirse Ronan and Max Irons making out from The Host trailer._

* * *

__The Nightmare

_She was outside of her body, watching herself. She thought it was herself; the woman she saw before her was a brunette. It was her, she had the same face…_

_He was standing in front of her, smirking. "I'm leaving you, Cathy," he said. "I'm leaving you for Amy."_

_"Can't say I'm too broken up about it." She shrugged. "I've been seeing someone else, anyway."_

_What was wrong with her? She shouldn't be saying that. She should be on her knees, begging him to take her back, trying to keep him here._

_Amy materialized, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Glad you're taking it well." She watched in disgust as he turned to kiss her. _

_And then the two weren't there anymore. It was just her other self now, in the arms of someone else._

_"Told you I was with someone else," she said, winking and crushing her lips against the man's. _

_She tried to move, pull her away, punch the man in the face. Her feet were rooted where she stood. _

_"Stop!"_

…

_BOOM._

"NO!"

Cathy threw the covers off, thunder shaking the flat. The steady drum of rain tapped at the windows as she took a moment to calm herself down.

Where had that even come from? Why would she even think that would happen? She shook her head, turning to look at her husband. Lightning flashed, revealing the empty side of the bed.

_Where the fuck is he?_

"Jamie?" She rubbed her eyes, trying to wake herself up. "Jamie?"

The bathroom door was open, and the next bolt of lightning told her no one else was there. Still in a state of half-sleep, she stood, making her way to the door.

"Jamie!" She slammed into the wall, falling over. "Jamie, where are you?"

He'd left her. He'd left her and Matt for Amy, and she'd end up with the man in her dream. God, what had she done wrong? Hadn't she made him happy? Why wouldn't he tell her if he wasn't?

"JAMIE!"

The door swung open just as another clap of thunder sounded. She jumped, crying out in terror.

"Cathy, what's wrong?" Jamie knelt beside her. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"I…you…and…left…what…" She gasped, catching her breath. "Amy…you…I…"

"What are you on about?"

_BOOM._

Cathy flinched, shrinking away from the window. Jamie lifted her into his arms, laying her back in bed and climbing in himself.

He looked her right in the eye. "What's wrong?"

"You…you weren't here. When I woke up. I…I didn't know where you went."

"Storm woke me up. Matt was upset, and I didn't want to wake you, so I went to sit with him until he fell back asleep. And right after he did, I heard a thump and you screaming…"

Cathy let out a breath, shaking her head. "Bad dream, that's all." She bit her lip, looking at her hands. "I was seeing someone else, and you…you left me…for _her_." Her words were barely louder than a whisper.

She heard him sigh, long and soft; he tilted her chin upward, finally meeting his gaze.

"You know that would never happen." He pulled her to his chest. "It was just a nightmare…you're safe, alright?"

"I…I worry sometimes, I guess. Silly of me, really."

"No, it's not." He drew her closer as the room was lit with another stroke of lightning. "I think about it. You…leaving." His voice faltered a bit. "I…I try not to, but it happens…"

Cathy pushed the fringe from his forehead. "I won't. I'll always be here." She cupped his face with her hands, bringing his lips to hers.

They pulled away, and Jamie sighed, smiling a bit. "I won't leave, either. I never will."

He laid down, gently pulling her with. She made her head comfortable on his chest, yawning and snuggling closer to his side. They soon fell back asleep, neither one of them letting go.


	37. On The Dot

**_Imagine person A trying to apologize after doing something person B didn't like, after a long time not talking to each other. Then person B interrupts person A with a kiss. As long as the kiss finish, they keep looking eye to eye for a long time and then kiss again._**

_Written by Gina_

* * *

It had been exactly twenty-nine and a half minutes since they had spoken to each other – he had counted.

So maybe he had gone a bit far. But he hadn't meant to, and certainly that constitutes for immediate forgiveness. But, if he was completely honest with himself, it really wasn't his place to childishly argue like he had, especially after seeing how upset she got.

_Twenty-nine minutes_. Certainly he had given her enough space. Maybe she forgot. Maybe she didn't care anymore.

Maybe she was still pissed at him for trying to make jokes even as she was scolding him.

Jamie had been anxiously tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair for the entirety of this time, and he still couldn't bring himself to get up. He had made attempts, mind you, but it's a bit difficult to just throw yourself to your knees and apologize after you just had stomped out of a conversation with a pout and folded arms. Even after, well, twenty-nine minutes.

And it would be a full half-hour right about… now.

Jamie sighed, forcing his arms to launch him from his seat and to a standing position. He let out a breath, flexing his fingers by his side. And after a few seconds of merely standing there he pivoted sharply on his heel and made his way stiffly out of the living room and to their bedroom.

He tried his hardest not to look awkward, especially since one of the main reasons he hadn't gone to talk to her earlier was because of his doggedness and pride. But what's worse – hurting your ego, or hurting your wife?

He rapped his knuckles on the door, folding his hands in front of him and waiting for it to swing open. But it didn't, and the soft touch on the door creaked it open enough for him to peer inside. She was sitting on the bed, looking extremely interested in a large, soft-cover book. She didn't look up, but hummed softly to acknowledge his entrance.

"Hey Cathy?" he stepped in, closing the door gently behind him and dropping his hands to his side. He curled and uncurled them again, glancing around the room to keep him busy until she answered. She just shifted to a more comfortable position and hummed even quieter.

"Hun?" Jamie tried again, standing on the tips of his feet and trying to peer around her book from his spot in front of the bed. He saw her glance at him over the rim of it out of his peripheral vision, but when he looked over she just pushed the book higher to cover her face. He sighed, rocking on his heels and trying to think of the best way to approach this without upsetting her further.

Incessant begging? Incessant begging.

"I'm really sorry!" he blurted, scrambling clumsily to her side of the bed. He tripped a little, collapsing to his knees in a kneeling position right at the edge. "I know I shouldn't have said and done what I did, and I know it upset you, and I was just being a shit because I bloody am." He brought his elbows onto the mattress and clasped his hands together in front of his face. The sudden motion shifted the bed a little, and Cathy finally gave up, laying her book in her lap and looking at him. His eyes pleaded with her, but she just swallowed, nodding to him as if to go on.

Jamie sighed heavily, flinging himself on his back onto the bed, his feet dangling over the edge and his arms sprawled out. He stared at the ceiling, taking in a deep breath and continuing on. "I'm sorry I didn't say sorry earlier, and I'm sorry for all that I said and for teasing you and for not matching my socks, which I know has nothing to do with this but I know it bothers you sometimes because it screws with the wash.

"And I'm sorry for taping over that morning program you like to watch before work that one time because I thought I wouldn't be home in time to watch my own but I actually ended up having a shortened shift.

"And I'm sorry for always deleting all the internet search history on your laptop after I use it even though I know you like to go through it and find old websites you've forgotten. And I'm not doing anything bad, it's just that I've been watching this _Pride & Prejudice_ web spin-off and I didn't want you to know so that I could reference it and sound smarter. I've actually wanted to get that one off my chest for some time now, so thank you.

"And I'm sorry for going to visit you at work that one time and getting you all hot and bothered before a meeting even though you kept trying to warn me.

"And I'm sorry for being such a jackass all the time, even if you say I'm not, because I know I am and I have no idea why you love me sometimes, but that's not the point, the point is I'm _so_sorry for what I did today and for what I always do, and thank you so much for putting up with me all the time. Furthermore –"

Cathy had been in a sitting position since about half-way through his little ramble, and with half a smile on her lips leaned down to his level, kissing him softly. Jamie's legs straightened on the floor for a second before going limp as he brought a hand to her cheek to keep her in place longer. Cathy grinned against his lips, trying continuously, yet unenthusiastically, to separate as he kept bringing her closer to him. She kept giggling, her chances at speaking being muffled by his lips, which just made her giggle more. She managed a "Jam–" before he grabbed her waist, rolling her under him.

This continued on for some time, just a little playful kissing and tickling. Cathy laughed particularly when Jamie nuzzled his nose into her cheek as he kissed her chin. And he enjoyed when she grabbed the collar of his shirt in both of her small fists, yanking him to her in a way that managed to be gentle and playfully demanding together.

Not a lot of words were spoken, just a lot of occasional pauses to look at one another before laughing in unison and diving back into another kiss. Jamie kept mumbling jokingly, "I'm so sorry –" and "Please forgive me, darlin'." Or even "The hills in this city can be quite unforgiving."

But Cathy would just shake her head, or laugh, or respond with "Shut it, Jamie." And he would shut it, of course. Even when he heard her softly mumbling sentences into his neck that he couldn't make out. Well, he made out _one_, but he didn't want to let her know that he had heard. Because then he'd have to apologize again for teasing her about it, and then she'd probably just hit him.

So he did. Shut it, that is.

"I forgive you a million times over." She repeated, louder this time, and directly in his ear. He grinned toothily, nipping her ear and kissing her temple as she laughed and gripped his shoulders tighter.

But even then, not a lot of words were spoken. Just a lot of laughs and smiles and kisses and looks and hugs. And a glance at the clock.

It would be a full hour right about…

Now.


	38. Date Night

_Context: More inspiration from those super hot gifs of Saoirse Ronan and Max Irons going around Tumblr. XD_

* * *

Date Night

The summer after his second birthday, Matthew spent one night at his Uncle Fred and Aunt Emma's. This gave Jamie and Cathy the chance to have a much-needed date night to themselves. Joyce cleaned Stuart's backyard and made up a picnic basket for them, keep a close watch so no one would disturb the two.

After eating at a table by candlelight, they started a bonfire and cuddled together on the couch that sat nearby. They sat in silence for a while, watching the flames flicker and pop. They both dozed off for a while after that.

Waking up in the middle of the night, Jamie added more logs to the fire and tried not to disturb Cathy. He was unsuccessful, of course, but that hardly seemed to matter when she pulled him down and kissed him. What followed was the most intimate, passionate lovemaking either of them had experienced. After relaxing for a while longer, they turned on the radio and slow-danced, clad only in one of the wool blankets that had been on the couch.

A trip to the doctor two weeks later told Cathy that she was pregnant with their second child.


	39. Sweet Nothings

Sweet Nothings (Valentine's Day)

Two weeks ago, middle of the night, on an old couch in front of a bonfire, a blanket the only thing separating them. She could still feel the soft warmth of the flames and the gentle way he ran his thumb over her cheek. Spending the night like that had been more than enough for the both of them.

She didn't say any of that to the doctor, of course. She simply said, "Two weeks."

This added an extra twenty minutes to her appointment, along with the knowledge that she was pregnant. Again.

It wasn't surprising to her, not really. Matt was going to be three in November, and it made sense that they have more children; they'd both expressed the desire for them. Besides, she'd always wanted a large family. It had been quite lonesome for her when Emma had gone off to uni and she was still going to secondary school.

How was she going to tell Jamie?

He'd be happy…at least she thought he'd be. She wasn't going to hide it from him like last time, only to have it burst forth when the pressure of it was too great. He was going to be excited all over again, she knew that much.

So why was she so nervous?

She sat in one of the chairs in the living room, watching Matt play with his race cars. Jamie would be home from work soon; that was when she'd tell him. She'd wait a bit for him to relax, of course, maybe allow him to play with Matt before she said anything. Perhaps she should tell both of them at the same time? Matt would have to learn sooner or later, and she certainly didn't want him feeling upset about this -

"MAMA!"

She jumped a little, noticing for the first time that her son was tugging at the skirt of her dress. "Hm?"

"Mama, when's Daddy coming home? He said he'd be back later, and it's later now!"

"He'll be here in a bit, sweetie. Don't worry."

"He has to see what I can do with my cars!" He pulled two of them back, letting them go and watching giddily as they crashed into each other. "Isn't that funny?"

She smiled. "Yes, that's very funny."

"Mama? Are you okay?"

"Yes, Matt, I'm fine."

"Does your tummy hurt? You've been holding it aaaaaall day. Do you need some soup?"

"Mama's just fine, Matt." She ruffled his hair affectionately. "I'll be fine until dinner."

Matt clambered into her lap, kissing the fabric of her dress. "There, now it's all better."

Cathy giggled, holding her son closer. "Thank you, sweetheart. It feels much better now."

"Yaaaaay!" Matt snuggled into his mother's shoulder, yawning.

"You need another nap, Matt?"

"Noooo. I don't…want a nap." He yawned through his words. "Mama…I'm not…sleepy…"

"Just rest then. I'll wake you up when Daddy's home, okay?"

Matt was too tired to protest, and his breathing evened out after a few minutes. Cathy kissed his head, sighing heavily.

She was getting nervous all over again when she had no reason to be. She subconsciously tightened her hold on Matt, trying to find the perfect way to tell him and coming up short. She had to smile at how scared she was; it was almost as bad as when they'd first started dating.

Jamie had been terrified at first, even without the pressure of being in jail. It had taken her almost a month to get him comfortable. Even on their first Valentine's Day together, he'd been a bit skittish, and it had started to bother her slightly.

_She regretted even suggesting they go out today. He was obviously not into it, at least not as much as he should have been. They hadn't even gone somewhere too public - they'd had lunch at the coffee shop where Jamie had submitted a job application, and they were now walking the back roads in silence._

_"Jamie? Is everything okay?"_

_He jumped slightly. "Er…yeah. Fine. Just…thinking."_

_"Mm. About what?"_

_"You know…the weather." He nodded to the snowbanks on either side of the path. "It's nice for February, don't you think?"_

_"…I suppose so."_

_He nodded gruffly, looking at his feet and saying nothing more on the subject._

_"Jamie, if you want to go home, that's fine. I can just call Emma to pick me up and -"_

_"No…no." He grabbed her hand. "I just…" He sighed, stopping. "This just feels…odd."_

_Cathy felt her heart sink. "How so?"_

_"I haven't really done something like this before. Not since…Mel." He swallowed hard. "And, um…you can be honest with me if I'm not being a good boyfriend. And if you…you don't think it's…you know…"_

_They stood in silence, snow beginning to fall softly around them. She found herself fighting back tears as she kept her voice level._

_"You don't want to see me anymore, do you?"_

_"What? No! No, that's…I'm not breaking up with you, Cathy." He placed his hands on her shoulders, looking her in the eye. "I would never do that. I just want to know if I'm doing this right."_

_"What aren't you doing right?"_

_"Dating…being in love…that sort of thing."_

_Cathy frowned. "There isn't a right or wrong way to go about this, Jamie."_

_"Are you sure? Because I don't want you leaving me."_

_Her heart sank again, this time for a different reason. "What?"_

_Jamie paled, his voice just above a whisper. "I don't…I don't want to have to be afraid of you leaving. I know you won't. It's…hard, though." He shrugged. "That's what's happened to everyone I've been with."_

_She nodded. "You don't have to worry. I'm…I'm not going anywhere." She stuck out her hand, her pinkie finger outstretched. "I promise."_

_He blinked for a moment. "What are you doing?"_

_"Just give me your pinkie." She giggled as he hooked his pinkie with hers. "You never did this as a kid?"_

_"Never saw the point, really." He laughed. "But I guess I can go along with it."_

_"Why, thank you, James. I'm honored." _

_"You should be. I don't accept promises from anyone." He kissed her forehead. "I love you."_

_"I love you, too. So much."_

_He pulled her into a hug, and they stood for a moment, snow quietly falling around them. Cathy suddenly pulled away, tugging him by the arms and laughing._

_"What's got you so happy?"_

_"I've always wanted to dance in the snow." She let go of him, spinning around. "Just spread my arms and laugh and not worry about people thinking I'm odd for doing it."_

_"What if I said I think you're odd?"_

_She stopped, shaking her head. "I don't mind if you think it's odd, because I know you want to join me."_

_"Do I?" He arched an eyebrow, taking hold of her hands._

_"Of course you do." She laughed again as he spun them around, the two of them dancing their way through the snowfall._

The sound of a car door reached her ears. Matt stirred in her arms, sitting up.

"Daddy's home!" He scrambled off the couch and to the door. "Daddy's home!"

"Matt, sweetheart, put your boots on! It's raining out."

"I will, Mama!" He pulled on his bright green rain boots and waited for his mother to open the door, scampering outside. "Daddy, Daddy, DADDYYYYY!"

Jamie was already soaked from the rain as he made his way up the walk. "Hey, Matt!" He knelt down, catching his son in a bear hug. "How my best bud?"

"You're all wet, Daddy!" Matt was quick to wiggle away from Jamie. "You look funny!"

"_I _look funny?" He frowned in mock offense. "How about you?"

"No, just you!" Matt giggled.

"You wanna know who looks funnier than me?" He smirked, walking toward the threshold where Cathy stood. "Your mum!"

Cathy barely had time to blink before Jamie yanked out into the rain, her hair and dress immediately sticking to her skin. She gasped as Jamie pulled her closer, his own soaked clothes cold to the touch.

"Mama looks funny, too!" Matt exclaimed, jumping up and down.

"She does, doesn't she?" Jamie laughed. "We should all go in and dry off, huh?"

"Nooo, I wanna stay out here!"

Jamie bent down to Matt's level. "I'll make you a nice, big cup of hot chocolate if you go inside and towel off like a good boy, okay?"

After a reluctant silence, Matt nodded. "Okay." He turned around, skipping into the house.

Jamie straightened, about to follow him when Cathy caught his arm. "Jamie?"

"Oh, right." He leaned in, giving her a quick, loving kiss. "Sorry I didn't do that sooner."

"I…er…"

"Everything alright, love?"

She nodded. "Yes…yes." She grinned. "Yes." She laughed loudly, spinning around, her face to the rain. "YES!"

"What the hell's got you all excited?" Jamie caught her by the waist, pulling her to him. "God, you act as if you're…" He paused, his brow furrowed. He slowly moved his hands to her stomach, gently pushing on it. His eyes widened as he looked up at her. "Cathy, you're not…"

She kept smiling, ignoring the raindrops falling right into her eyes. "I'm due next March."

He didn't say anything for a few minutes, glancing from where his hands still rested on her stomach to her face. She waited for the news to sink in, starting to dread that maybe, just maybe, he didn't want -

And then he was pulling her into his arms again, picking her up and turning them around, his laughter twining with hers. He set her down eventually, kissing her hard, the rain soaking them both, but she couldn't bring herself to care.


	40. Best Behavior Part I

_Part II can be found in smut collection, for obvious reasons._

* * *

**_Part I: Imagine your OTP hosting a nice dinner for Person A's boss and their family. They're polite and everyone has a wonderful time, Person A sharing stories about they and Person B's casual, everyday life while Person B finishes up the meal and sets the table._**

_Part II: After a lovely dinner, your OTP wishes A's boss and their family a nice night, and as soon as your OTP is alone again, they practically tackle each other and make their way to the bedroom, undressing as they go and having passionate sex at least twice before they cuddle to sleep._

* * *

"Jamie!"

Shit. He'd forgotten something, hadn't he?

"Jamie, get down here!"

What was it? Iron his suit, keep Matt clean, take the chicken -

"JAMES ANDREW BRADLEY!"

Take the chicken out of the oven.

Fuck.

He ran down the stairs, his tie loose around his neck. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, it slipped my mind -"

"You're lucky I saw the clock." Cathy kicked the oven door closed, coughing a bit at the residual smoke that hung in the air. "I ask one thing for you to do, and you can't even do something that simple."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help." He shook his head, quickly knotting his tie.

"Just…make sure Matt's in his nice pants, okay?" She grabbed a dishrag, wiping down the kitchen island for the sixth time (at least from what he'd counted). "I still have to do my hair and set the table and sweep the floor and…" She paused, pressing a hand to her forehead. "Just stay out of the kitchen for a while, alright, hun?"

"Yeah. Sure." He brushed past her, opening one of the cabinets and taking out the nicer plates they reserved for when they had guests over.

"Jamie, what did I just say?"

"Can't you just accept my help and calm down?"

"Calm down?! How can I be calm?" She threw the dishrag to the floor. "Do you have any idea how scared I am right now?"

"I can imagine," he muttered, rolling his eyes and walking to the table.

"You're not funny, Jamie. This is important, you know that, right?"

"I wouldn't have guessed by your constant worrying at every available moment this past week."

"It's very possible that I could be fired if things go wrong."

"Fired for having dinner?" Jamie nearly dropped one of the plates. "You're joking."

"It could happen!"

"I highly doubt that -"

"What do you know?" She grabbed a handful of silverware, shakily setting it next to each plate. "It's not like Tiffany's coming over, and even if she were, I'm sure things would be much more casual."

"Just because she's the manager of a coffee shop doesn't mean we can't treat her with respect?"

"I didn't say that! I just meant -"

"MAMA! DADDY!"

"Can you go see what he wants?" Cathy asked. "I have to make sure the salads are in order."

"Of course." Jamie shook his head. "Not like I'm doing anything productive."

"Shut up and do it."

Jamie bit the inside of his cheek, swallowing a slew of insults as he walked to the living room.

"Daddy, this shirt itches!" Matt had his dress shirt halfway off of his head, his pants on the other side of the room. "Why can't I wear my spaceship pajamas?"

"Mama's boss is coming for dinner, bud." He retrieved his son's pants. "We have to behave for her, yeah?"

"But I want my pajamas!"

"Come on now, Matt, you can wear your pajamas soon enough." Jamie adjusted Matt's shirt and helped him back into his pants. "It's just for a little while. Mama needs us to be good for her friends, okay?"

"Can I have a cookie?"

"After dinner."

"I want one now!"

"Matt, you can have one after dinner, okay?"

"Nooooow." He clung to Jamie's leg. "Pleeeaaaase?"

"Matt, you're almost three. This isn't how big boys act." He tried to walk, grounded in place by his son's weight. "Matthew Jonathon Bradley, I order you to act like the young man I raised you to be!"

"No." Matt clung tighter. "I want a cookie."

Jamie sighed. "I didn't want to have to do this." He leaned down, a smirk growing on his face. "I think I hear something." He paused, pretending to listen. "I think it's the…Tickle Monster!"

Matt tried to scramble away, but Jamie easily caught him. "Daddy, no!" Matt giggled, squirming and unable to say more.

"I'm gonna tickle you silly, Matthew!" Jamie picked him up, tickling his stomach and trying to keep his hold so he didn't fall. "And you can't get away!"

"Stooooop!" Matthew continue to laugh, wiggling in his father's grasp. "Daddy, that tickles!"

Jamie let Matt go, pretending to chase after him. "You better run! The Tickle Monster's gonna get you!"

There was a knock at the door just then, and Cathy came rushing down the stairs. When she'd had the time to run up and apply her makeup Jamie didn't know, but she was suddenly looking very put-together and, dare he even think it without feeling too shameful, sexy. She was smoothing the wrinkles on her dress and taking deep breaths when she caught him staring.

"What?"

"You just…" He blushed a little, looking at his feet. "You look really beautiful, is all."

"Thank you, sweetie." She smiled. "You look very nice." She turned to Matt. "And so do you, Matt. What a lovely shirt you have!"

"I still want my spaceship pajamas."

"Later, Matt, I promise." Cathy exhaled one last time before opening the door.

"Hello, Catherine, dear!" A red-headed woman in her late 30s stepped into the flat, giving Cathy a warm hug. "Thank you so much again for inviting us over."

"No problem at all, Jen." Cathy smiled shakily. "So glad you could make it."

Jen was followed by a stocky man, a little girl in pigtails, and a sulking older girl. "You've met Dan before, haven't you, Catherine?"

"Last time he came to the office." Cathy shook his hand. "Nice to see you again."

He nodded. "You, as well."

"And this is Abigail," Jen said, her hands on the little girl's shoulders. "Tell Catherine how old you are, sweetie."

"Eight!" she said, her voice squeaky.

"Well, aren't you cute." Cathy smiled before turning her attention to the other girl. "And this is Rachel, correct?"

"Just turned fourteen. Say hello, Rachel."

The girl kept her arms folded, saying nothing; she glared at Cathy before studying her shoes.

"Um…dinner will be ready shortly. Jamie, why don't you take them to the living room to get settled, and I'll let you lot know when the food's ready."

Jamie introduced himself to Jen and her family, trying to ignore the sudden nervousness in his stomach. "Nice to finally meet you."

"Likewise. Cathy's told me plenty about you, James."

"Good things, I hope?"

"Of course." She smiled down at Matt. "And who's this little cutie?"

Matt clung to Jamie's pant leg, hiding his face in the fabric. Jamie chuckled, ruffling his son's hair. "Matthew, come on now. Say hello to Mama's boss."

He shook his head, peeking out just a little before burying his face back into his father's leg.

"Oh, don't be shy, dearie!" Jen laughed. "I won't hurt you."

"Mummy's nice!" Abigail said from her perch on one of the chairs. "Unless she's yelling at Rachel for not doing her laundry."

"Abigail…" Dan gave her a look.

"But it's true. Mummy will yell so loud, our neighbors call the police!"

"Abigail, that's not true -"

"One time her face got so red, I thought she would essplode!"

"Abigail, dear!" Jen rushed over, gently placing a hand over her daughter's mouth. "Let's not say any more about Mummy right now, alright?" She turned to Jamie. "Sorry about that, she just loves to talk -"

"It's alright." Jamie pulled at his collar. "Quite alright. Matt does that a bit when he's not being shy."

"Do not," he mumbled into Jamie's leg.

"Got you to talk, didn't I?" Jamie chuckled again.

"I'm not shy!" Abigail exclaimed, her mother's hold now gone. "I love people." She started to prance around the living room. "And I dance a lot, too!"

"Abigail, please be careful -"

Dan went flying just then, catching the glass picture frame his younger daughter had accidentally knocked off of one of the side tables. The room was silent for a moment, only broken by Cathy's voice calling them to dinner.

_Thank God_, Jamie thought with a sigh.

* * *

Dinner was going alright so far. Jen and Cathy were the ones who did the talking, unless they were asking someone else a question. Rachel sulked over her food, and Dan exchanged a few looks with Jamie when their wives got into a long-winded conversation.

"So Catherine tells me you work in a coffee shop, James," Jen said in between a mouthful of vegetables.

"Yep. Gonna apply for manager at the end of the month. Pays a lot more than what I've got now."

"And Catherine told you she's starting training next week for a full-time job, correct?"

"Of course." Jamie winked at his wife. "Someone's gotta make a name for themselves in this family."

"But you're famous already!" Abigail, who had been strangely quiet up until this point, looked at Jamie. "You were in the newspaper for winning money."

There was a second of silence before Jamie answered. "You're right, I was."

"And you're already famous. Mummy told us all about what happened."

Jen's face fell. "Abigail, sweetheart, let's not -"

"You took bad drugs and you crashed your car and almost died!"

"Abigail -"

"And you almost killed your boss, too! You smashed his head in."

"Abigail, stop!"

"Mummy wonders how you got to where you are right now, since you were a bad man. Especially married to her." She pointed at Cathy, whose eyes widened and brow furrowed.

"Abigail, that is enough." Jen's face was red, her movements jerky as she walked to her daughter's seat. "I want you to apologize right now -"

"No, it's fine."

Everyone turned to look at Jamie, who didn't look bothered in the least.

"Jamie…" Cathy said quietly.

"Could I tell you a story, Abigail?"

"Oh, yes! I love stories."

"James…" Jen paused, her mouth agape. "I…I'm sorry, I -"

"There was a man a few years back, who was having a very hard time," Jamie began. "He didn't see his dad very often and he was into some very bad things. He needed money, so he robbed the store he worked at and, as you said, smashed his boss's head. But he didn't mean to. He'd been scared. He hadn't been thinking.

"And he did win the lottery, but things didn't get better." His eyes darkened. "The bad things didn't go away, and the man didn't make very good decisions. And he ended up crashing his car, and had to go to the hospital.

"The doctors didn't think he'd get better, but his mum and a few of his friends were there, as well as a very special woman who cared very much for him. She visited him when he was out of the hospital and put in jail for a year, and she gave him hope. He knew things would be okay if she was there with him.

"And after the man was released from jail, he got a job, and he married the woman, and they had a son, and they'll soon have another little one. And the man knows now what his mistakes were, and he's learned from them, and he couldn't ask for a better way to live his life."

The silence that followed was deafening. Everyone was watching Jamie, who continued to eat as if he hadn't spoken. After another moment of complete quiet, Jen cleared her throat.

"I…I'm very happy he got through all that. It couldn't have been easy."

"Trust me, it wasn't." Jamie shrugged. "But life isn't always a walk in the park." He caught Cathy's gaze, smiling. "It helps to have someone there when you really it most."

"Glad things worked out, mate," Dan said. "Don't think I could be that strong."

As they were clearing the table, Cathy pulled Jamie back into the kitchen. "I'm so sorry about all that, I didn't think…"

"Don't worry about it."

"Jamie. What you said out there…that was amazing."

"It's the truth." He pulled her into his arms. "You're a big reason why I kept going. And I cannot thank you enough for all you've done for me."

"You don't have to." She held his gaze before leaning closer, kissing him.

Jamie prolonged the kiss, pressing her closer against him. The blood started to race in his veins as she moaned against his mouth and he slipped his tongue in…

She pulled away suddenly. "There's cake in the fridge," she said, straightening her dress.

"But…"

"And we should continue to be good hosts and serve it." She opened the fridge, handing him a square package. "I'll get the plates."

He turned to walk back into the dining room, glancing over his shoulder at his wife's figure. He swallowed, biting his lip and suppressing his desire.


	41. Knowing

Knowing

Cathy didn't like cheesy things. She absolutely couldn't stand mushy movies, or romance novels, and would always voice her hate for them when the occasion called for it.

This was why she could never express how truly satisfied she was when she was having sex with Jamie. While the sex part was all well and good, it was knowing it was with him that really made it special. Knowing he was sharing something so intimate, knowing it was him joined with her, knowing that they were _one _- that was what made her smile and blush.

Of course, she'd never say all that out loud. It would give her husband a big head, and he'd tease her about it.


	42. Special Time

Special Time

Jamie squared his shoulders, swallowing hard as he crept into the living room. Matt was on the floor, playing with his race cars, and Angie was in her rocker, sleeping. They both looked so innocent…

"Hi, Daddy."

"Hi, Matt." He swallowed again, kneeling down to his son's level. "Um…I wanted to talk to you about…about what happened last night."

"You mean when Angie woke up and you weren't there and I had to come get you?"

"Yes…that."

"I told you, I think Angie had a bad dream -"

"Not…not about that." He sighed, his face going three shades of red. "I'm sorry that Mummy and I were…that you saw…"

"Oh…you mean what you and Mummy were doing when I came in?"

"Yes. That."

"Ohhhh." Matt frowned. "Were you playing a game? You looked happy, but I thought Mummy was getting hurt, because you weigh more than her and you were on top of her and she was yelling at you-"

"Matt…" Jamie sighed again, his face burning. "You know that mummies and daddies love each other, right?"

"Right."

"And you know that Mummy and I…well…" He couldn't help the smile that formed on his face. "We love each other very much."

"That's why you kiss all the time."

"Hey, we do not!"

"Do so."

Jamie chuckled. "Okay, fine. Yes, we kiss because we love each other. And…well, sometimes…sometimes mummies and daddies want to spend time with each other by themselves, without kids. And they…they have special mummy and daddy time."

"Do they kiss?"

"Yes. It's a lot of kissing and hugging."

"So it's not a game?"

"No."

"So…you hug and kiss while you lay down, then?"

"Yes."

"And…you do it when Angie and I are sleeping because you don't want to gross us out."

Jamie smiled a little. "Yes, exactly. And from now on, Mummy and I are going to keep our door closed, and if you want to come in during the night, you knock."

"So I won't walk in on your special time?"

"Right. Do you understand?"

"Yes. I understand."

"Good." He pulled his son into a hug. "You know I love you, Matt."

"You know I love you more, Daddy."

"I love _you _more."

"I love you way more!"

"No you doooon't."

"Yes I dooooooo."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well, then, you won't mind if I give you a big kiss?"

"Ewwww!" Matt squirmed as his father planted a kiss on the top of his head. "Daddy, no!"

"I thought you loved me, Matt!"

"I don't like kisses!"

"So you like tickles instead?"

"Noooooo!"

Jamie and Matt both collapsed in a fit of giggles, trying to tickle each other. When Cathy came home from shopping, she found her husband and son rolling on the floor, red-faced and laughing. She assumed that their talk had gone well.


	43. May I Take Your Coat, Ma'am?

May I Take Your Coat, Ma'am?

_written by Gina_

"Jamie? I'm hooome!" Cathy chimed in a sing-songy voice, yanking her bag through the closing door and snapping it shut with her elbow. The lights were off and the only light came from the moon shining in through the windows, lavender curtains pulled open and tied neatly. Cathy grinned quizzically – she doubted that Jamie used his nights off to buy nice curtains.

"Jamie?" she called again, stepping into the living room and setting her stuff down. Just as she did so, she heard a few ticking noises coming from the kitchen, followed by a smooth string of orchestral music, drifting into the living room. She chuckled in disbelief, checking over her shoulder. "Jamie, what's goin' on?"

"Good evening, miss."

Cathy turned back around, facing the entrance to the kitchen where Jamie adjusted the pen clipped to the apron around his waist. He fixed the cuffs of his dress shirt, smiling politely and folding his hands behind his back. Cathy laughed again, leaning over a little and placing her hands on her hips. She pointed in the general direction of the music, which had picked up when Jamie smiled at her, now playing a soft chorus of saxophones. "What's all this then?" she giggled.

Jamie looked over his shoulder confusedly, and turned back with a little frown. "Why, it's a restaurant, o' course." He smiled again. He gave a small bow in her direction and she laughed again. "May I take your coat, ma'am?"

* * *

Cathy laughed as he walked quickly back and forth about the kitchen and dining room. He had set up a matching lavender table cloth on their table, complete with their fine china dishes, shiny engraved cutlery, a folded napkin and, of course, a red rose in a small vase in the middle of the table. Cathy teased him as he set down the glass of water, and he pretended not to notice, pivoting pretentiously like a waiter in a fine restaurant.

Cathy examined the silver spoon, giggling. "We got these as wedding gifts! Thought we'd never use them," she called to Jamie just as he came in carrying a pale yellow scented candle and lighter.

"Candle," he said, placing it to the left of her, lighting it. "More romantic." He winked, flouncing back to the kitchen. Cathy pinched his bum cheekily as he went by, sticking her tongue out after him and taking a sip of her water. When he came back he had his chin raised like a show-dog, holding a laminated piece of paper. "The menu."

Cathy stared at him for a moment as he reached into his apron and took out a blue pen with a dinosaur on it, pretending to flip to a new page in a pad of paper. He licked the tip and watched her expectantly.

"I'm sorry, do you need more time?"

Cathy nearly howled with laughter, and as she calmed herself down, she could see a hint of a smile on his mouth. He raised his eyebrows, leaning more towards her as if he were listening intently. Cathy scanned the "menu", scribbled in Jamie's familiar print – he even wrote the name of his "restaurant" at the bottom, surrounded by a (rather impressive) drawing of a rose.

"If I may," he cleared his throat politely, pointing to a small section at the bottom. "Our specials this evening."

She giggled at her husband as he scratched the back of his ear with the pen. "Alright." Cathy read the little names of the dishes, accompanied by a little price. "What about chicken, then?"

Jamie glanced up from the pad of paper he was holding and leaned down. "Read the whole thing," he whispered, straightening up again and clearing his throat once more.

Cathy stuck her tongue to her cheek and smiled, reading the name and description_. Garlic chicken on a bed of rice_ _with your choice of broccoli or carrots. _She grinned up at him and placed her menu down. "I think I'll take the chicken, then."

Jamie went to write it down before looking back at her. She looked at him questioningly, and he flitted his eyes down to the menu and then back to her. She sighed and turned back to it, shaking her head. She wanted him to say the full thing. She read the name of the dish over the details, smiling to herself.

_"_I'll take_ Cathy's Choice, _with broccoli, please."

Jamie looked down at his paper and then glanced apologetically back at Cathy as he sucked in a breath through his teeth, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, I dread to inform you that we are all out of the chicken."

Cathy blinked at him, raising her eyebrows. "Okay then…" She looked back at the menu. "Steak?" Jamie cleared his throat again and she rolled her eyes, looking back down at the name. She grinned again. "I mean, _Matthew's Top Sirloin_. Sounds a lot fancier than it probably is." She mirrored his previous wink.

Jamie huffed, shaking his head a little. "We are all out of the steak, as well."

Cathy groaned teasingly. "Pasta then?" – She rolled her eyes again at the look Jamie gave her, looking down at the writing – "I mean, _Angie's…Pascetti_?" She looked up at him with a playful grin and laughed. "Really?"

"She likes her pascetti…" Jamie mumbled, in his baby-voice, of course, and scribbled (probably a tic-tac-toe board) on his paper. "And we're out."

Cathy gave him a sarcastic look. "Bread and butter."

"Out."

"Then what do you have this evening?"

Jamie looked up to the ceiling in mock contemplation. He smiled a little, clicking the pen and pressing it to the page. "Fresh chips and a bottle of wine."

Cathy grinned, holding her menu up to him, grateful to finally get something to eat. "That'll have to do, then!"

Jamie scratched something on his pad of paper – which she just realized had a cartoon frog surrounded by flowers on the cover – and accepted her menu, smiling politely and stiffly walking to the kitchen. Cathy laughed, finishing her water and covering her mouth as he returned. He inched a bit sheepishly into the room, fiddling with the pen. "Erm…"

Cathy tilted her head at him. "Yes?"

Jamie looked down at his polished shoes and then back at her. "I'm sorry, miss, it would seem we are out of the wine."

Cathy stared at him for a second before chuckling to herself. Her chuckle slowly grew into a laugh and she held onto the table to balance herself. Jamie soon started laughing with her, dropping the waiter act and walking over to kiss her forehead. She cupped his face in her hands and brought him down to kiss her properly. They separated, calming down and holding each other. Cathy smoothed her skirt, shaking her head, and Jamie ran a hand through his hair, messing up the nicely combed do.

Then Cathy scratched her cheek and smiled at him. "Soda's good."

Jamie grinned back at her, still crouched next to her, and kissed her nose lightly. "Will do, ma'am."

* * *

Jamie distributed the chips to her plate out of a Styrofoam container, pouring some soda pop into a wine glass. He even garnished the glass with a little pink umbrella. Cathy giggled and took a sip just as Jamie set down the bottle.

"Well, I must say, Mr…" She lowered her napkin, pretending to search for his invisible name card. "James..."

Jamie grinned a toothy smile, folding his hands behind his back as before.

"You _have_ been an awfully damn good waiter this evening." She smiled politely, gesturing to the chair across from her. "Care to join me, and see if you're just as good a chef?"

Jamie smirked, raising an eyebrow at her and moving to the other end of the table, drawing out a chair."Don't mind if I do, ma'am."

Cathy pressed her tongue to her teeth and giggled, grabbing her fork and digging in to her chips. Jamie smiled at her and sat down, pouring himself some soda and taking a drink.

* * *

The couple remained at the table, talking and laughing well into the night. They sat for hours, sometime forgetting the food and just chatting happily. Jamie kept leaning over the table to kiss her, and each time she would hold him in place with a hand to the back of his neck.

Jamie went to open a window, letting in a soft breeze. Cathy heard the fluttering of paper above her head and quizzically glanced up. She laughed, pointing at the gold trimmed paper twirling on a piece of orange yarn.

"_Bradley's Bistro_," she read, poking her finger at the corner of the sign. "Hadn't noticed that."

Jamie smiled, holding his fork to his mouth. "Nice touch, eh?" he chuckled, biting the prongs.

Cathy smiled, reaching up to yank at the sign hanging above the table and tracing her fingers along the designs Jamie had drawn around the letters. She made a mental note to store it in the special place she kept all the other props from Jamie's shenanigans – a box marked "_Catherine and James_" that she received chocolates from on their honeymoon that she kept it under her nightstand. Jamie watched her, twirling the fork around on his lip before breaking his stare and poking at three chips in the corner of his plate.

Cathy raised her glass to her lips, balancing it there and watching Jamie as he had her. "So, Mr. James." She smiled. "Am I gonna have to pay for this?"

Jamie swallowed the food in his mouth and grinned, raising his glass to hers and chinking them together. "On the house."


	44. The Conception of Beatrice Bradley

_Context: The night Beatrice Bradley was conceived. Written by Gina._

Jamie and Cathy had their hands a bit full lately, what with their second child being in that "Terrible Two" year old phase. So, to blow off some steam, they decide to take a trip to visit Joyce, who immediately agreed(as usual) to watch the two fidgety children, as she had always missed watching little kids ever since her own grew up. She took the two kids of their hands for the day, and the couple found themselves in a rare, wonderful situation. But what were they to do? They hadn't had a day to themselves in a while, not since about a year or two ago.

Luckily, Jamie had a plan. He had spent some of his time thinking of little dates for him and Cathy to go on if a situation like this arose. So why not combine them all?

It was only about 2, so they decided to take a walk down to a new diner that had opened up near the coffee shop. Like the shop, it was cute little place that sold sandwiches and drinks and other delightful little things. Despite being rather expensive, Jamie agreed to pay for everything, (He caught Cathy trying to pay for half of it before they had gotten everything) and they spent a good deal of time eating their custom sandwiches and looking in the glass cases for a dessert to take with them.

On the walk, back they stopped at the park, finding their bench open as usual, and ate their pastries snuggled against each other. To keep from feeling guilty about leaving the kids with Jamie's mother, (she started frowning when she saw all the young kids there with their mothers) Cathy suggested they head home, and they began walking again. Jamie spotted a little shop somewhere near the park and made Cathy wait outside while he went in. When he came out, he had a thrown his old clothes in a bag and now had on new trousers, shoes, and a dress shirt (First two buttons undone, or course) and a necklace for Cathy, which she of course loved, which he fastened around her neck, kissing her nape.

When they finally got back it was about 6, and Jamie decided to start on dinner. He stumbled around the kitchen for a bit, not really used to Cathy not helping, but refused her offers (Though, she might as well have, as she gave him tips and instructed him when he got stuck.) And soon, they had a nice big dinner of chicken with all different kinds of sides, and Jamie even cracked open a bottle of wine. Cathy spent most of the dinner switching between laughing at his jokes and playfully scolding him for spending so much money that day ("Just flaunting around my pay rise," he replied, mouth full of food.) while Jamie would rub her shoulders and neck when they cramped up (She was grateful for this, as she hadn't had a moment to fully relax in a long while.) and just reach over the table to kiss her while she rambled.

And, of course, once their stomachs were full, these kisses got more drawn out until she was practically in his lap. They stumbled up stairs, fingers under fabrics, until they reached their room where Jamie's shirt hit the floor and he kicked the door closed with his foot.


	45. The Next Morning

_Context: The morning after the conception of Beatrice Bradley._

Beautiful.

That was the first word that came to his mind, and he knew it would never be enough; there was no word that truly fit just how radiant she really was.

He watched her with half-lidded eyes, her smaller frame cradled in his arms, modestly wrapped in their bed sheets. She was still sound asleep, her lips parted slightly, her shoulders rising and falling every so often. He gently wrapped a lock of her hair around his thumb, familiar and lovely warmth filling his chest.

He was tempted to call his mum and tell her to keep Matt and Angie for another day. As much as he loved his children, he had less time to spend alone with her now that their lives had gotten so busy. But he knew he couldn't be that selfish.

However, waking her would be rather rude on his part…

His fingers were stroking her back, and he found himself getting lost in thought of what had happened yesterday. He replayed the entire day over, smiling to himself, grateful for the precious time they'd had.

He paused when he reached the bedroom door closing, an uncharacteristically fierce blush warming his cheeks. Last night had been…he chuckled quietly, shaking his head. He would have plenty of time later to remember that. He wasn't going to spend the morning doing that when he could focus on his wife.

She stirred slightly, her nose wrinkling for a moment before she settled again. She mumbled something incoherent, moving closer to him and sighing once she had the desired contact. He let out a sigh of his own, not wishing to disturb her peaceful state, but knowing he was cheeky enough that he'd feel no remorse whatsoever.

He gently pushed a few stray strands of hair from her face, leaned down, and pressed his lips to hers.

He pulled away, smiling as her eyes fluttered open. She didn't seem annoyed, as he'd predicted. She blinked a few times, mind still heavy with sleep.

"Good morning," he whispered.

"Morning, love." She yawned. "What time is it?"

"Almost nine. Told my mum we'd get our kids by noon."

"So…why on earth would you wake me…" She trailed off, her lips curling into a smirk. "James Andrew Bradley…"

"Worth a shot, wasn't it?" He kissed her again, moving to her neck. "When else are we going to have time to do this without one or both of those two bursting in at night?"

"You act as if it's their fault."

"It's not. I adore them." He nipped at her collarbone. "But I don't adore when they interrupt me trying to spend quality alone time with my beautiful wife."

She was quiet for a moment, finally pulling him to her face, scattering his cheeks and jaw with light kisses. "Alright, then. But after, we have to get up, okay?"

"Okay."

She pulled him on top of her, her lips at his ear. "I want you to make the sweetest, most passionate love to me that you can. Right now."

He felt a rush of heat deep in his stomach, and his muscles tensed. "I'm happy to oblige, my darling."

He leaned down to kiss her, and after that, they were lost in their embrace.


	46. I Spy

I Spy

If there was one boy Cathy hated more than anyone else, it was that toad Jamie Bradley. She hated the way he'd smirk at her, as if he knew something she didn't. She hated how he'd tease her and act like he was better than she was. She hated his stupid face and his stupid hair and his stupid voice.

But most of all, she hated how much she hated him.

It was aggravating how angry she could get when she visited her Uncle Bob. Somehow she'd always run into him; didn't matter where or when, she knew she would. It was some cruel twist of fate that would constantly throw them together, an eternal punishment she was doomed to suffer for some unknown reason.

"One of these days, I'm telling on you," she'd threaten. He'd just laugh in her face, tugging on her braids and running away. He knew she'd never follow through with it…and he was right.

The angriest she ever got at him was when she was too scared to go on the Ferris wheel at the fair that came through every summer. He'd teased her mercilessly about that, and she'd lashed out, punching him right in the nose. She broke three of her knuckles and his nose was dislocated, and both were grounded for two weeks.

She wouldn't forget what he'd said to her. "I'm taking you up on that Ferris wheel someday, pipsqueak. We're going to stop right at the top, and we'll hold hands and be mushy. You'll see."

She refused to give into his nonsense. She wouldn't be seen with him anywhere remotely civil. He'd said it to bother her, and it had worked. She knew in reality that she and Jamie Bradley would never do anything of the sort. They were physically incapable, and she was glad it would stay that way.

…

"Hurry up! There's a line already."

"Honey, I don't -"

"Jonas said he was going to do it at dusk."

"Jamie, don't you think that -"

"He'll know if we're close by, he's gotten good at sensing me -"

"Sweetheart -"

"Don't tell me you're still afraid of these things."

"_James_. I am not afraid."

They stopped at the gate to the Ferris wheel, a sizable line in front of them. Cathy was panting a bit, hand on her stomach.

"Jamie, I'm sure all this running isn't good for the baby…"

"Oh, come on, we weren't running that fast. And besides, we made it, didn't we?"

"I still don't understand why this is so important -"

"Cathy." Jamie gasped in mock offense. "Proposals are _very _important. Do you think we'd be having our third kid if I had decided not to propose?"

"I meant why it's so important for _you_."

"Oh." He shrugged. "It's been almost five years since they've known each other, you know? And he's been asking for my advice and stuff, and…I'm excited for him. It's a big leap for both of them."

"That it is. Kira's been so much happier when she comes in."

"And you can't help but smile at the thought." Jamie slung an arm around her. "I can still remember about how nervous I was."

"But you had to know I'd say yes, didn't you?"

"Maybe."

"Oh, really?"

He shrugged again. "Maybe."

She slapped him lightly in the chest, her knuckles stinging. "Be lucky you're cute."

"And I enjoy every minute of it."

They waited two full cycles before being let through the gate. Cathy thought she wouldn't be bothered for being four months pregnant, but as soon as she stepped in, she saw the ticket holder glancing at her and groaned internally.

"Miss, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you for your concern."

"Miss, I'll have to advise against it."

Cathy bit the inside of her cheek. "I'll be fine, I'll make sure to be careful -"

"I really must ask you to sit it out, miss. I don't want any trouble."

"I'm perfectly alright. This is the only ride I've even thought about going on all day."

"Miss, I'm not responsible if you go into labor early, or if you're not belted in properly, or -"

"Just let me through. Please." Cathy side-stepped the other woman, walking briskly to where her husband was now seated in one of the seats. She belted herself in, eyeing the ticket holder maliciously before taking Jamie's hand.

"What's gotten into you?"

"Don't worry about it." Their box gave a lurch, and the wheel began to lift them into the air. "Where did Jonas say he was going to propose to her?"

"Not sure. That's why we're on here. We're going to hunt for them."

"Are we?" They reached the top, waiting for more people to get on. "How are we going to do that when we're constantly moving?"

Jamie didn't answer; he just smiled at her and hummed to himself.

"Jamie? What are you thinking about?"

"Oh…nothing."

Cathy started to notice that each time they stopped to let someone off, no one else got on. She deduced, eventually, that she and Jamie were the only ones on, and she was about to say something when they stopped right at the top of the Ferris wheel.

And that was when it dawned on her.

"Jamie, you didn't…"

"I didn't what?"

"Did you fix this?"

He put his hands behind his head, leaning back slightly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You bribed one of the employees to use the Ferris wheel to scope them out, didn't you?"

"Now, I wouldn't call it that…"

"Then what?"

"I call it renting this for fifteen minutes." He reached down the front of his jumper, pulling out a pair of binoculars. "And for good reason."

"When did you have time to convince them?"

"You having a row with the ticket holder." He held the binoculars to his eyes, scanning the fairgrounds.

"It wasn't that bad." Cathy huffed, folding her arms. "She wouldn't let me on, just because I'm pregnant. Honestly, the world seems to think if you're having a baby, you're automatically an invalid."

"Whatever you want to call it, I got us the ride. Now hush."

"How did you know you'd have time to pay?"

"I didn't."

"So how…"

"Can't I take chances?" He was still glancing through the lenses. "I had a plan, it had a fifty-fifty shot of succeeding or failing, and here we are. Now help me look."

"Jamie, you can't expect to find them so…" Her eyes widened. "Oh."

"Oh, what?"

"Found them."

"Where?" Jamie had jumped a little, causing the seat to wobble. Cathy had to grip the side, a rush of adrenaline passing through her. "Where are they?"

"The meadow. Just outside the front gate." She pointed, shaking. "Kira always wears that pink hair ribbon."

He dropped the binoculars, raising an eyebrow. "Thought you said you weren't scared."

"Well, when you rock the seat, of course I'm going to be jittery."

He held her hand again. "Don't worry. You're not going to go tumbling out or anything." He leaned forward, kissing her forehead. "You're perfectly safe."

She nodded, and they turned back to where Jonas and Kira now stood in the glow of one of the nearby streetlight. Jamie once again raised the binoculars, gazing intently.

"What's going on?" Cathy squinted a bit. "I can't really see their faces."

"They're talking…Kira's turning away…Jonas is scratching his ear…oh, my God!"

"What? What happened?"

"That lady got a stuffed tiger! She only knocked down two milk bottles, not three."

"Jamie!" She swatted at his arm. "Focus."

"Sorry." He paused for a moment. "They're not doing anything right now. All they're doing is talking." He blew air out of his mouth. "Who knew this would be so boring?"

"Your idea," she mumbled.

"Ten minutes, you two!" called one of the employees.

"Shit. Come on, mate." Jamie gripped the binoculars tighter. "Just do it."

A few more minutes went by before Cathy saw Jonas move. "They're holding hands, correct?"

"Hmm?"

"Jamie, are you even watching?"

"That cow did it again! She didn't shoot one duck, and she got a giraffe this time -"

"You're hopeless." She took the binoculars, careful not to choke him, and watched. "Yeah, they're holding hands. Oh, wow…"

"Cathy, come on, I want them back."

"In a sec. Awwww. He really has beautiful eyes, you know…God, the way he's looking at her…"

"Give 'em back, Cathy."

"Take out the ring, Jonas, come on now." She was on the edge of her seat. "Take it out."

"Cathy, just give me the damn binoculars," he said, yanking them out of her hands.

"Hey! I wasn't done with those!" She made a grab at him, and he ducked out of the way.

"Would you sod off?!"

"Don't be such a jerk, Jamie!"

"Six minutes!" came the voice from below.

But neither of them heard it; the sound of their seat creaking violently was all they were concerned about. They'd rocked it so hard that they were swinging back and forth, unceasingly. Jamie instinctively grabbed Cathy, securing her to his chest, waiting as the seat stabilized. Cathy was clinging to his shirt, breathing heavy.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah. You?"

He swallowed. "Yeah."

They sat in silence before the voice came again: "Four minutes!"

"It's not worth it, Jamie." She refused to move from her position in his arms. "I don't want to miscarry, or fall, or…"

"You won't. It's okay, I'll ask them to…" He trailed off. "His pocket. He's reaching for his pocket, Cathy."

As much as she hated being up so high, she sighed and turned her head. "I can see that."

"I…I think he just asked her," he said quietly.

"He's on his knee."

"Oh God…please say yes."

"SAY YES, KIRA!"

"Cathy!"

"What?"

"We're in public." He giggled. "And I don't want them seeing us."

"Oh, they won't."

"How do you know?"

"She's too focused on him."

They sat for a moment, watching the couple before Kira nodded her head, embracing Jonas and accepting the ring.

"I think we're good," Cathy said, turning her head away as they leaned in.

"You don't want to see them kiss?"

"Haven't we invaded their privacy enough?"

"Not really…"

She was about to answer when they heard, "Time's up!" The wheel moved again, bringing them back to the ground. Jamie gently lifted his wife out of the seat, leading her through the exit gate with a smile on his face.

"Happy that Kira accepted, are we?"

"Well, yeah, but…no."

"What, then?"

"Remember when we were younger? When I teased you about the Ferris wheel?"

"Yeah…so?"

"I promised I'd cure you from your fear of it, and hold your hand, and we'd be all mushy."

They'd stopped walking, and he watched her face change. "Well…yes. I suppose you did."

"So I'm right?"

"Yes, Jamie, you're right."

"And…?"

"And what? What else do you want?"

He answered her with a light kiss. "That…and I want to get you a funnel cake. I know you'd like one."

"That's all?"

"You want something else?" He smirked.

"No…no. I just never know what to do with you, Jamie."

"And that's a bad thing?" He pulled her closer, their foreheads together.

She met his gaze, letting him kiss her again. "Of course not."


End file.
